Our help is in the Name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Beloved, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Psalm of praise: 68:9, 16
Apostles’ Creed
Ten Commandments
Psalm 25:9
Prayer
Psalm 84:5
Scripture reading:
1 John 5
Scripture
text:
1 John 5:1; Catechism Lord’s Day 11 and 12
Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And
everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Christ . . . Such significant
words, because they indicate that a certain group of people are
embraced by the love of God, while another group are completely
excluded from it.
Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Anointed ‑ official Redeemer
‑ of God, are not from God. In no way whatsoever do they share in the
redemption and salvation accomplished by Jesus.
When we look at John 5:1 again – against this background – it has new
depth of meaning. According to this text there is a relationship
between every human being (me!) and this Saviour of the Lord.
Here the Lord reveals to us how highly important He regards the glory
of his Son as the Redeemer.
- The Lord saves us
through this Jesus. He is also called the Christ of God.
- n this passage the
Lord reveals to us the entire redemptive work of the Lord Jesus, but
especially emphasises the fact that Jesus is the Anointed.
- Christ means
Anointed. This means that the Lord anointed the Redeemer in the office
of Redeemer, because whoever was anointed, was anointed to indicate
that the person was anointed in a certain office before God.
There have and will always be various people claiming to be the
Redeemer – last of all the antichrist.
- Think about Jesus’
sermon in Mark 13, where He says that during the last days various
people will introduce themselves as the Christ.
For
false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform
miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s
chosen ones. (Mark 13:22 NLT)
- There will also be
various religions each claiming to preach the true Christ.
- These people will
operate very powerfully, performing miracles in the Name of the Lord to
deceive the faithful. To those who do not have the gift of discernment
these false messiahs will look like Jesus Christ of God.
The Lord comes to our assistance though. There is only one true Christ.
- He is identified by
virtue of his unction. All others are false.
- The true Redeemer
was made proficient for his work by no one else but God himself.
This is why we find the direct question in the Heidelberg Catechism:
Why is He called “Christ”, that is, “Anointed”?
- Because He was
anointed by God the Father.
- It happened in the
presence of many witnesses. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven and
God the Father said:
This
is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. (Matthew
3:17
NLT)
All office bearers were anointed with oil, because oil was the symbol
of the Holy Spirit.
- However, God’s Son
was not anointed with the symbol. e was anointed by the Holy Spirit
Himself.
- For example, we read
in Peter’s Pentecostal speech:
So let
it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this
Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah! (Acts
2:36 NLT)
· Jesus teaches us for
which office He was anointed. In Hebrews 5 we read that Jesus’ unction
meant that He was anointed as our only High Priest:
For
God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.” And again God said, “I will be his
Father, and he will be my Son.” (Heb. 1:5 NLT)
That
is why Christ did not exalt himself to become High Priest. No, he
was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have
become your Father.”(Heb. 5:5 NLT)
- He was anointed as
priest and by the one perfect sacrifice of his body He redeemed us from
sin and punishment. He is the Priest who died to bring us back from the
road leading away from God and again make us children of God.
God is so omnipotent that He can literally do anything, but regarding
Christ He applied the principle applying to mankind, namely that nobody
is able to appoint himself in a position of glory.
- This is why Jesus
did not invest Himself with power. He was anointed and ordained as High
Priest by the Father. This is also put very clearly in Hebrews 5:4:
And no
one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an
honour. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
(Heb. 5:4 NLT)
- As Godly anointed
Priest He did not offer an animal ‑ his own blood dripped down the
cross into the earth.
- No symbols were
attached to his sacrifice. He is the true Redeemer. He transformed our
powerlessness into a power for God against Satan.
Anointed also means that Jesus was anointed as the King of God. Isaiah
describes it beautifully (33:17):
Your
eyes will see the king in all his splendour, and you will see a
land that stretches into the distance (Isaiah 33:17 NLT).
- Just consider what
it says! In the distance we see the King of eternity ruling over us in
a land with no boundaries.
- When we see our
anointed King on his throne, all earthly power falls away. The kingdom
of the anointed King of God is a kingdom of beauty and immensity.
Jesus was also anointed as Prophet.
- He first teaches us
through the prophets who were his predecessors, but the Jesus came and
taught us while walking around among us.
- After His ascension
into heaven He preaches by his Word and Spirit. Through this He
confirms the miracle and truth of is unction.
So God ordained Jesus as Prophet and Teacher.
Now, how does this affect me? What effect does it have on my faith? Is
it just one of those many truths in the Bible – and that’s that? The
answer is: No!
- Christ, the Godsend
Intercessor is really your Redeemer. God has ordained him from
everlasting to everlasting.
- That is why, on the
night Jesus was born, the heavens broke open and the angels proclaimed
the arrival of the Anointed (Luke 2:10):
. . .
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I
bring you good news of great joy to everyone! The Saviour – yes, the
Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of
David! (Luke 2:10-11 NLT)
. . . who is Christ . . .
. . . who is the Anointed . . .
Your redemption is in the Anointed of the Lord! The Samaritan woman
said something, rather similar, to Jesus:
The
woman said, “I know the Messiah will come – the one who is called
Christ, When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” (John
4:25
NLT)
This woman confesses: When the Anointed comes, He will teach the people
the full meaning of his unction.
- And this is what in
fact happened, because Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of
the living God.
- This confession that
Jesus is the Anointed of the living God, became the foundation of the
church of the Lord – so immensely strong that the powers of death shall
not prevail against it.
- For this mighty
construction work in the kingdom of God, the Father anointed Jesus
Christ. And every one of you is a living brick in this building!
The fact that Jesus is called the
Anointed has real meaning for us.
It’s not just another Name. This Name reveals to us the mysteries of
God’s power. Through the unction of Jesus we are also anointed as
prophets, priests and kings.
- The Name of Christ
contains the ransom for our lives.
- The unction of
Christ either includes us or excludes us from Jesus’ redemptive work.
- For some He died for
salvation . . . for others He died for damnation . . .
This anointed Jesus does not pass you. Every one who believes that
Jesus is the Anointed, is a child of God. We share in the redemption
accomplished by the Anointed, and therefore we are indeed members of
Christ.
We have to live as prophets, because we have the knowledge and the
required guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because we were also anointed
with the Holy Spirit:
But
you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and
all of you know the truth. (1 John 2:20 NLT).
and
He has
commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing
the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first instalment of everything he
will give us. (2 Cor. 1:21-22 NLT).
The apostle Peter stated the following rather strongly:
- We have to preach
the goodness of Him who called us out of the darkness into the light.
- We are kings who
must preach the ruling of God.
But
you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a
kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession. This is
so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of
the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)
But do you also notice the dark side of this? How much (little or much)
of the unction of the Lord Jesus is shown in our lives? Be converts! In
other words, believe in the unction of the Lord Jesus, and live as his
prophets, priests and kings. Because everybody who believes that Jesus
is the Christ, is a child of God; and everyone who loves the Father,
also loves his children.
Let’s look at what Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 11 and 12 say about
it:
29. Q. Why is the Son of God called
Jesus, that is, Saviour?
A. Because He saves us from all our sins,[1] and because salvation is
not to be sought or found in anyone else.[2]
[1] Matt. 1:21; Heb. 7:25. [2] Is.
43:11; John 15:4, 5; Acts 4:11, 12;
I Tim. 2:5.
30. Q. Do those believe in the only
Saviour Jesus who seek their
salvation and well-being from saints, in themselves, or anywhere else?
A. No. Though they boast of Him in words, they in fact deny the only
Saviour Jesus.[1] For one of two things must be true: either Jesus is
not a complete Saviour, or those who by true faith accept this Saviour
must find in Him all that is necessary for their salvation.[2]
[1] I Cor. 1:12, 13; Gal. 5:4. [2]
Col. 1:19, 20; 2:10; I John 1:7.
31. Q. Why is He called Christ, that
is, Anointed?
A. Because He has been ordained by God the Father, and anointed with
the Holy Spirit,[1] to be our chief Prophet and Teacher,[2] who has
fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our
redemption;[3] our only High Priest,[4] who by the one sacrifice of His
body has redeemed us,[5] and who continually intercedes for us before
the Father;[6] and our eternal King,[7] who governs us by His Word and
Spirit, and who defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for
us.[8]
[1] Ps. 45:7 (Heb. 1:9); Is. 61:1
(Luke 4:18; Luke 3:21, 22. [2] Deut.
18:15 (Acts 3:22). [3] John 1:18; 15:15. [4] Ps. 110:4 (Heb. 7:17). [5]
Heb. 9:12; 10:11-14. [6] Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24; I John 2:1. [7] Zach. 9:9
(Matt. 21:5); Luke 1:33. [8] Matt.
28:18-20; John 10:28; Rev. 12:10, 11.
32. Q. Why are you called a Christian?
A. Because I am a member of Christ by faith[1] and thus share in His
anointing,[2] so that I may as prophet confess His Name,[3] as priest
present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him,[4] and as
king fight with a free and good conscience against sin and the devil in
this life,[5] and hereafter reign with Him eternally over all
creatures.[6]
[1] I Cor. 12:12-27. [2] Joel 2:28
(Acts 2:17); I John 2:27. [3] Matt.
10:32; Rom 10:9, 10; Heb. 13:15. [4]
Rom. 12:1; I Pet. 2:5, 9. [5] Gal.
5:16, 17; Eph. 6:11; I Tim. 1:18,
19. [6] Matt. 25:34; II Tim. 2:12.
Amen
Closing prayer
Closing hymn: Psalm 2:1, 5
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
Dr MJ du Plessis
Reformed Church Bellville
Date: 26 September 2004 (morning)