Let us commence this meeting with God by declaring openly to
one another and to God:
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: 84:1, 5
Prayer
Psalm 2:1, 5
Scripture reading: Isaiah
9:1-6; 1 John 5
Scripture
text: Isaiah 9:1-6; 1 John
5:1; Catechism Lord’s Day 12
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of
God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. (1 John 5:1 NLT)
This Scripture text is packed with meaning: Everyone who
believes that Jesus is the Christ . . . These words include a certain group of people
and at the same time excludes another group.
- Those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed – hence the official Saviour – share in
God’s redeeming grace and in eternal life.
- The others, those who do not fully recognise Jesus as God’s official Saviour for mankind,
are excluded from the mercy of the Lord.
-
- They do not share in redemption and the joys of Heaven.
In Isaiah the Lord Jesus is already foretold as the Saviour who is Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Counsellor and Prince of Peace, in other words as Everlasting God and Saviour.
- Our Scripture text establishes the same relation between Jesus and God the Father as the
Old Testament does.
- Jesus is the Christ of God and only He can save us.
Why do we refer to Jesus as the official Saviour? To understand this, we should look at
Jesus’ Name: Christ or Messiah.
- Both these Names mean Anointed.
- The Lord makes Jesus known by this Name, for the very reason that God had anointed
everyone who held an office, for such an office, so that everybody would know and acknowledge
it.
When we read 1 John 5:1 in view of this, it says that everyone who expects his salvation
from God through his Anointed is a child of God.
- These words reveal to us the glory of the Son of God as his Anointed.
- This verse deals with Jesus Christ’s complete redemptive work, but with the emphasis on
his work as the Anointed.
This knowledge about Jesus Christ is not just of academic importance.
- We should know Jesus the Anointed of God personally, because we are being warned against
false messiahs who will appear in our times and who will pretend to be the real Christ.
- Then many people will follow these messiahs and worship them.
- The antichrist – the most important among them and who will appear at the end of times –
will even do miracles to lead the believers astray.
- He will be able to perform miracles such as letting fire down from heaven.
It’s most important to note that this antichrist is going to introduce himself as bearing
the Name of the Lord.
- He will call himself the Christ.
- Hence those who are not able to distinguish between the real Christ and the antichrist,
will follow the antichrist.
The Lord reveals these things to us to enable us to distinguish and to devote ourselves to
truly believing in Him, without being held back by doubt.
- There is only one true Christ – clearly distinguished from the false messiahs through his
anointing:
-
- The Holy Spirit anointed the true Christ in the presence of a number of people who
witnessed it.
- The true Christ was fully prepared by God for his work.
When our Three Forms of Unity were drawn up, the Synod realised that they had to specially
write about the reason why Christ is called the Anointed. When we are confronted by false
doctrine regarding Jesus Christ, knowledge of these facts is of critical importance.
- The main thing is that we must remember en know – and trust – the truth of the Scriptures
in such times.
- People who preach heresy, always wrest the Bible passages from its context because they
only quote certain texts while ignoring related passages that shed more light on the matter
and put it in perspective.
In respect of the true Christ and who He is the same applies.
- Many passages in the Bible reveal Jesus as God’s Christ and his Anointed.
- Do you realise that the beginning and development of the Christian church was based on
this creed?
Just again listen to Peter’s speech in Acts 2:36:
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)
God made Jesus both Lord and Christ.
- God anointed Him.
-
- This is how God appointed Jesus as Prophet and Teacher.
- But Jesus is even more than that.
-
- In Hebrews 5:5 we read that the anointing of Jesus also included his anointment by
God as the only true High Priest:
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.” (Hebrews 5:5 NLT)
Today I reveal you as my Son. (Psalms 2:7)
Jesus was not only God. He was also a human being – just like us.
- Hence it is important that we also consider this matter in view of his humanity.
- The first believers had to be convinced that Jesus was not an arrogant human being who
thought too much of Himself.
- However, the antichrist who will come at the end of time, will be exactly like that.
Hence the Lord says that no man can glorify himself.
- In his humanity Jesus could also not do it.
- Therefore He was anointed by God to be High Priest.
- The Lord once again confirms it in Hebrews 5:4:
And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants
such an honor. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. (Hebrews
5:4 NLT)
God ordained our Saviour at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
- We’ll simply be lost if we believe in any other messiah.
- God anointed no other saviour to be the propitiation for our sins. This means there is
not another saviour.
Never have any doubts that the Jesus we worship is the true Anointed.
- When He came to earth the angels announced his birth as follows:
. . . but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he
said. “I bring good news of joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has
been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:10-11 NLT)
The message is clear: The Christ/Messiah who would be the propitiation for our sins had been
born. He is the One and only true Saviour.
What does it mean to us?
- God anointed Jesus as our only High Priest. His sacrifice saved us from the misery and
eternal death caused by our sins. As High Priest He has prayed and is still praying every
moment for every one of us pleading for forgiveness for us through his blood.
- He is our uppermost Prophet who saved us from being so shortsighted that we would live in
sin and find our only pleasure in that.
- He is our King. Almighty. He destroyed all the powers of hell and saved us to live in his
kingdom eternally. He literally rules over all powers so that nothing can take away my
salvation from me.
The Name Christ contains the ransom for our
eternal life.
- The anointing of Christ places us either inside or outside the boundaries of the
redemptive sacrifice of Jesus.
- He died for some – those who confess Him as the Anointed of God – for eternal redemption.
- For those who question or deny it He died for them for eternal rejection and
condemnation.
We know whether we share in this redemption, because we bear his image, in other words the
Holy Spirit anointed us in his Name to be kings, prophets and priests (1 John 2:20; 1
Corinthians 1:21, 22).
Hence every one of us must act according to our threefold office by preaching to the world that
the Anointed of God called and saved us for eternal life (1 Peter 2:9).
Let’s look at what we believe with regard to this in Catechism Lord’s Day 12:
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 Names,[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 118:2, 12
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: 21 August 2005 (evening)