Jesus, the only possible Messiah

Who Is the Messiah?

(Acts 18:4-11, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 9, 2012)

[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Paul had work to do. Yes, he made tents with Aquila and Prsicilla, but all of his work and life was spent working with a greater Companion and Lord in building a tent that will last forever. That tabernacle of the Holy Spirit is still being built today.

Paul had preached Christ in many places, and now he had this good work to do in one of the major cities in Achaia. His message was first to the Jew, but as Paul reasoned in the synagogue in Corinth he was reaching many non-Jews who were attending there. God had worked in the hearts of many Greeks to have an interest in the faith of the Jews. They were there every Sabbath with Jews like Aquila when Paul arrived in Corinth.

[5] When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. [6] And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Paul was occupied with this work, and he would remain occupied for many months with the goal of persuading his hearers of one central fact of the faith: that the Christ was Jesus. The word Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Many Jews already believed from the Hebrew Scriptures that a Messiah would come. The Old Testament Law, the Psalms, the historical accounts of the kings, and the prophets of Israel all pointed to the coming of a special prophet, priest, and king, who would be the Anointed One of God. But who would that Christ be?

A more fundamental question for many people is the necessity of any Christ figure at all. Why do we need a Christ? The Anointed One would come as God's representative to establish an eternal kingdom. In this world of death, sin, and sorrow, we needed a man to win for us a kingdom of life, holiness, and joy. Those who find their ultimate happiness in Christmas presents and Hanukah geld will have no need for a Christ. If they do not believe that they have an eternal soul, they do not need to fear the judgment of God. They want all their presents now.

If God is our judge, and we hear His command to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness, the topic of a Coming One who can secure for us a kingdom that will not fail is of paramount interest. If we receive the Word of God as true, we have been given abundant preparation in the Hebrew Scriptures not only to believe that a Christ will come, but even for the assurance that the Christ is Jesus of Nazareth. It was this last proposition that Paul was busy proving to the Jews and synagogue-attending Greeks in Corinth.

Proving that the Messiah was Jesus required a careful consideration of what those Scriptures said about the Coming One and then a fair accounting of the person and work of Jesus. Who was Jesus and what did He do? The life of Jesus and his suffering, death, and resurrection formed such an amazing story that no other person in all of history could have fulfilled all of the prophesies and preparations that the Scriptures contained regarding the Christ. He had to be born during the time of the Roman Empire. He had to be born in Bethlehem and live long enough to do the things that Messiah was supposed to do. He had to teach in parables. He had to work very specific miracles. He had to suffer and be rejected by the religious leaders of the Jews. He had to die on a cross as one forsaken of God as our Substitute. Especially, He had to rise from the dead, not to mortal existence to die again at a later date, but to the new life of the Resurrection Man. Then He had to ascend into heaven and to send forth the Holy Spirit upon the church in a way that gave testimony to the world that a new era of existence had come. He had to begin to build the kingdom of God on earth. Brothers and sisters, we do need a Christ, God promised that a Christ would come, and that Christ can be no other person than Jesus of Nazareth.

You are here today either because you believe this already or because you are open to the consideration of these claims. But when Paul taught that the Christ was Jesus in the synagogue in Corinth, the response he received was the one that he found everywhere. Some believed and some did not. Those who received Jesus, who believed in His Name, became children of God, and their lives began to change. Those who rejected Paul's message became angry and violent.

[7] And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. [8] Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

That was not Paul's fault, and he testified to his innocence in their unbelief by shaking the dust of that synagogue off of his garments and going literally next door to start a church. The person who lived next door was one of those worshiping Greeks who was not a Jew that I referred to earlier. He is called here “a worshiper of God.” Who went over with them? People like Aquila and Priscilla, and many other Jews and Greeks including the leading elder in the synagogue, a man named Crispus and his entire household. Many Corinthians heard the message, believed, and were baptized. Imagine the dynamic here in Corinth of having a reduced synagogue right next door to a wildly growing vital Christian church.

[9] And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, [10] for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” [11] And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

This was all by the design of the reigning Christ. We do not worship a baby in a manger this morning. That baby grew up. He has borne our griefs and has carried our sorrows. He died and rose again from the dead. He is the Lord who rules His kingdom right now from the heights of heaven. That Christ is still Jesus. Present tense. He spoke to Paul in a vision, calmed his fears, and assured him that there was much more work to do in the wild city of Corinth. What was Paul's job in the new Tabernacle of God? Anointed not with oil made by human hands but with the Holy Spirit, Paul was to go on speaking knowing that the Christ was with him and would be very able to protect him. Jesus had many people in Corinth. Paul was supposed to minister to them.

That word of encouragement propelled Paul through the next eighteen months. He was teaching the word of God among them. That work continues down to the present day in places like Syria, where Christians send word to their friends her today that they are worshiping God through Jesus Christ though they have not had bread for a week. They send this report to us this morning: “Again we thank God, because if we don't eat bread, is good for our diet. Despite all these tough situations, thank God that we had our worship service yesterday, and there were more than 70 people attending the Church, although there was no electricity or heat. But the people's hope is our LORD. Keep praying. God is great.” Yes God is great, and the Messiah is Jesus.

1. What was Paul's message to the Jews in Corinth? What does the word “Christ” mean?

2. What kind of hearing did Paul receive in the synagogue?

3. What was the Lord's encouragement to Paul?

4. How did Paul respond to that word from God?

OT Passage: Exodus 30:22-33