Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

How can Jesus be so misunderstood? More has been written about Jesus than all the U.S. Presidents combined. More has been written about Jesus than any other leader in history. There is more historical evidence about Jesus than anyone who has every lived.

With this much history and literature all devoted to one person, you would think that everyone would have a pretty good grasp on who Jesus really was. But actually, the exact opposite is true. It seems like almost no one can agree on what Jesus was like, who He was, what He stood for, what He did and didn’t do, etc.

Some people say that Jesus was a pacifist. Others say He was a warmonger.

Some believe He was the first hippie. Others claim that He was a staunch conservative.

Jesus was white. No, Jesus was black.

Jesus was a Democrat. Nope, He was a Republican.

Some believe that Jesus was a prophet. Some believe He was a good moral teacher. Some believe He was the Son of God.

People have tried to take the story of Jesus and bend it and shape it to fit their stories. They want Jesus to conform to their own personal agendas.

We aren’t going to do that in this series. We are setting out to discover the vintage Jesus. In other words, we want to see Jesus as He actually is. We want to find the real Jesus. Not the Jesus that we want. Not the Jesus that we create. Not the Jesus that fits with our preconceived ideas and beliefs. But the real, authentic, vintage Jesus.

There are four different books in the New Testament that tell us the story of Jesus’ life. We call them the gospels. They are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And then there is a book at the very end of the New Testament called Revelation. It tells us about Jesus too, although it does it in a very different way.

Over the next five weeks, we’re going to see pictures of Jesus from each of these five books. Each book gives us a different picture and perspective of Jesus. And when you combine them all together, you get a true, vintage picture of Jesus. And when you get to know the real Jesus…not the fabricated, manmade, fictional Jesus…but the real, true, vintage Jesus…that’s when everything changes. Fairy tale Jesus can’t do a thing for you. But vintage Jesus can change your life.

We’re starting the series in the first New Testament gospel: the book of Matthew. Matthew might be the most challenging gospel to read, but it’s chocked full of amazing insights into who Jesus really is.

There are a lot of different pictures of Jesus in Matthew, but here’s the one we’re going to zero in on today. Jesus is Messiah.

That means that Jesus is the anointed one. He is the promised one. He is the one who was to come.

For centuries, the people of God had been waiting on the one. That’s what the Old Testament in the Bible is all about. It is the story of God’s people as they were waiting for the Messiah. The one who would deliver them. They one who would be the fulfillment of all the prophecies and promises that God had given them.

Matthew clearly and unapologetically tells us that Jesus was that one. He was the anointed one. The chosen one. The one who had been promised.

Matthew’s claim about Jesus as the Messiah becomes crystal clear right in the very beginning of his book. That’s where we’re going to be today. A lot of us only think about this Scripture in December, but this is way more than just a Christmas passage. There is amazing truth about Jesus in the very beginning of the book of Matthew.

Before we start reading, let me set the scene for you. Joseph and Mary, who were Jesus’ earthly parents, were pledged to be married. They hadn’t slept together because they held to the truth that God created sex for marriage only.

So imagine Joseph’s surprise when he found out that she was pregnant. He was ready to call off the whole deal, and who could blame him? This pure, godly girl that he thought he was marrying turned out to be a ho. Or, since we usually read this story at Christmas, he thought she was a ho, ho, ho.

Not so fast. After he found out about the pregnancy, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. And that’s where we’ll start reading. Pick it up in Matthew 1:20. Joseph was ready to leave Mary.

The Bible says, “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV)

Matthew introduces us to Jesus while Jesus was still in the womb. And he wastes no time telling us that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the one.

Let’s work through what Matthew tells us that the angel said to Joseph. The angel told Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.”

Joseph had planned to walk away, and no one would blame him. In fact, his friends and family would even praise his decision. They would say, “Good riddance. You don’t need that tramp. You’re too good for that. You wait until you find someone who is worthy of you.”

No one was going to praise him for staying with Mary. Instead, it was going to be, “Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind? You’re going to stay with her after what she did? Man, you are a heaping pile of Grade A stupid.”

It was going to be much easier to do what his culture wanted him to do rather than what God wanted him to do. That’s why the first thing the angel said to him was, “Don’t be afraid. I know it’s going to be tough. I know bailing out is easier. But don’t be afraid because if God called you to it, then God will sustain you through it.”

That’s a principle that we have to own in our lives. If God called you to it, God will sustain you through it. Some of you are ready to quit. You’re done. You’re ready to throw in the towel.

If God called you to it, God will sustain you through it. The story of Jesus…the story of our Messiah…is that God has bridged the gap between us and Him. He will never leave us. He will never take His power away from us. Whatever you are facing, your God is bigger. Your God is bigger. If God called you to it, He will sustain you through it.

The angel went on to tell Joseph why he could trust God in this. “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

“Yes, Joseph. She’s Prego. It’s in there. But it didn’t get there they way you think. What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Most of the time when something is conceived by the Holy Spirit, it won’t make logical sense to us. This couldn’t have made any sense to Joseph. And that’s exactly the point.

The Holy Spirit is not confined by human logic. When He conceives something in you, it might not make sense to anybody else. It might not even make sense to you. And that’s where the mettle of your faith is really tested.

If God brings you to it, He will sustain you through it. If the Holy Spirit has conceived something in you…a dream, a mission, a purpose, a passion…you can’t let the illogical nature of it stop you. Impossible is not a word in God’s vocabulary.

Go back and look at what the angel said when he fully revealed God’s plan to Joseph. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

This is where Matthew really hones in on the first picture of vintage Jesus. He would be born and He was to be named Jesus. The reason for that name is that He would save His people from their sins.

Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, which means, “the Lord saves” or “the Lord is salvation.”

Matthew will go on to write the personal name of Jesus over 200 more times in his book. And every time he does, he underscores who Jesus is. He is Messiah. He is the one that God promised would come. He is the one who came to save us from our sins.

You can’t measure the implications of this. It is life altering. It is eternity changing. And as the people of God, we’ve got to get this.

Jesus is the one that God sent to save us from our sins. Any other messiah…any other savior…is going to fail miserably and completely.

That means that you can’t be your own messiah.

A lot of people who claim to be Christians live in this fairy tale world where they can actually save themselves. They operate on the hash mark system. If I can get more hash marks in the good column than the bad column, then I’ll be alright. Then I won’t go to hell. I’ll get to go to heaven if I’m good enough.

Do you understand how disgusting this is? In this system, God is no longer a loving Father. He just becomes a scorekeeper, keeping tabs on your every move. This belief system completely negates Jesus. It makes Jesus totally unnecessary.

In Galatians 2:21, Paul writes, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21, NIV)

The Old Testament law was all about keeping the rules. Do this, don’t do that. Do this, don’t do that. Do this, don’t do that.

Here’s Paul’s point. If we could actually keep those rules and make ourselves righteous before God, then why did Jesus die? Why did He give His life for us if there was another way? It was actually pretty stupid for Jesus to go to such an extreme measure if there was another way.

The point is that there is no other way. Later on in the book of Matthew, Jesus even prayed for God to reveal another way.

Right before He was arrested, the Bible says in Matthew 26, “Then [Jesus] knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.” (Matthew 26:39b, CEV)

There was no other way. We couldn’t work our way back to God. We couldn’t do enough good to achieve eternal life. We couldn’t do anything to earn God’s grace and forgiveness and love. The only way to God was through the cross.

It’s not about what you do or don’t do. Rule keeping doesn’t cut it. Because, first of all, we can’t keep all the rules. And secondly, it makes us more concerned about the rules than the relationship.

God doesn’t want a bunch of robots that are programmed to keep the rules. He wants us as His children. Yes, there are commands to follow. But those commands are given for our good. They are there to keep us from turning our lives into a train wreck.

But too many of us have made the rules the main thing. We’ve chosen rules over the relationship. And what that gives us is moralism. Not Christianity.

Christianity is about Jesus. Moralism is my ability to keep the rules. My own morality is my messiah. Instead of being defined by Jesus, I’m defined by what I do. And more often than that, I’m defined by the things I avoid; the things that I don’t do.

That is completely contradictory to everything that Matthew wants to tell us. Jesus is the one who would save people from their sins. It’s Jesus. He is the Savior. He is the Messiah.

You can’t fill that role. You can’t save yourself. You can’t rule-keep yourself into heaven.

When you become a rule keeper, you set aside the grace of God. Go back and look at what Paul told us in Galatians 2. He said, “I do not set aside the grace of God.” When it becomes all about rule keeping, that’s what we do. We set aside the grace of God.

When you set aside the grace of God in your own life, you become religious. Instead of craving a relationship with Jesus…instead of recognizing that His grace is your only hope…you become a religious do-it-yourselfer. I can make it on my own. I can keep the rules. I can be good enough. When you set aside God’s grace in your own life, you become religious.

When you set aside God’s grace in others, you become a jerk. Instead of extending grace, you become judgmental and critical. Once you are a rule keeper, you will always see those who don’t keep the rules as well as you do. And you will disparage them and despise them. You’ll call them names. You’ll look down your spiritual nose at them. In other words, you’ll become a religious jerk.

That’s the way our world sees Christianity…with good reason. Because this is how a ton of Christians operate. Religion without a relationship. Judgmentalism, completely devoid of grace.

That’s why we get all wound up about stuff that doesn’t matter. That’s why we focus on rules that are peripheral…or rules that aren’t even in the Bible at all. Because it’s all about the rules.

To all of that, Matthew would say, “No! That’s not what it’s about. We can’t keep the rules. We’ve proven that. Our track record is pathetic. That’s why we need Jesus. He is the one. He is the Messiah. Stop trying to save yourself when Jesus came to do it for you. Instead of frantically trying to work yourself into His approval, just rest in His unwavering love for you.”

When all you have is religion, you obey the rules to make God love you. When you have Jesus, you live a life submitted to Him because of your love and gratitude to Him. That’s not a subtle difference. It’s a game changer. It is a life altering, eternity altering difference.

You can’t be your own messiah. And another person can’t be your messiah.

We try to make it happen. We try to set up some other person to be our Jesus, to be our messiah. And every time we do it, we crash and burn.

Go back and read what the angel said again in Matthew 1:21. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, NIV)

The angel said, “Name Him Jesus because He will be the one to save you from your sins. Jesus will be your Messiah.”

He specifically said that the Messiah’s name is Jesus. Did you notice that the angel didn’t use the name of your husband? Or your wife? Or your kids? Or your boyfriend or your girlfriend?

There are a whole lot of people who look to someone else to be Jesus for them. They try to prop another person up as their messiah.

If I can just find a man, then everything will be perfect. If I can just find a woman, my life will be great.

My boyfriend is so amazing. He has changed my life. Have you seen my girlfriend? She is the one I need.

Life will be complete when we have kids. That’s all I need to be whole and fulfilled.

Guess what? You are going to be disappointed. In fact, you will experience disappointment on a mammoth scale because none of these people can fill that role in your life.

No man, no woman, no child can complete you. They can’t fulfill you. They can’t save you.

There is a reason that Matthew uses the specific name Jesus. Jesus is THE ONE. HE is your Messiah. HE is your Savior. No one else can fill that role.

That’s why so many relationships are in such deep trouble. Because we expect the person we’re dating, our fiancé, or our spouse to be our Jesus. And so, in a very real way, they become our idol. They are a false god who has replaced Jesus in our lives. And so it’s no surprise when disappointment and discouragement soon follows.

C.S Lewis said, “Idols always break the hearts of their worshipers.”

That was never more true then when you try to make someone else into your messiah. They are a flawed, imperfect, limited, sinful human being. They are going to let you down. They can never fulfill your expectations. They can’t be your Jesus.

And in fact, if that’s what you expect from them, it will be crushing to them. That is way more pressure than anyone can handle.

I feel this pressure myself at times. Some people look to me as their pastor to be their messiah.

I will never forget seeing what happens when a pastor becomes a pseudo-messiah. I knew a pastor who fell into sin. And I mean big time. It was sinfulness that would blow your mind.

When his sinfulness came to light, it was an incredible blow to the church. But it went a lot deeper than that for some people. There were some people who almost couldn’t walk after hearing the news. It seemed to wreck their entire lives. Their hearts were devastated and their spirits were crushed.

I’m not trying to minimize the impact when a leader sins. I know that I’ve got to guard my life because if I fall into sin, the consequences would be devastating.

But at the same time, when this pastor’s sin was revealed, a lot of people lost their faith entirely. Because their messiah turned out to be a flawed, sinful human being.

I commit to you that I will live a life of purity. But I won’t live a life of perfection. I can’t. I can’t do it anymore than you can do it.

There are people who come to this church, not to follow Jesus, but to follow Mike Edmisten. You know where following Mike Edmisten will get you? Hell. It will lead you straight to hell.

I will disappoint you. I will let you down. I’m trying to live more like Jesus, but I can’t be your personal Jesus. If you’re here because, “I like his preaching,” or, “He’s got a lot of energy and charisma,” you are looking in the wrong place. What happens if I go out and get plowed by a bus this afternoon? Where does that leave you? If I’m your Jesus, you’re up a creek because I won’t be rising again in three days. I’m gone.

The point is that no one can be your Jesus except Jesus. And why would you want somebody else? Why would you want a fake when you can have the real thing?

This verse in Matthew tells us that Jesus is the one who would save people from their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.

Did you notice that the angel used the name Jesus and not Barack Obama? Did you see that the angel used the name Jesus and not Glenn Beck?

A lot of people on the left and the right look to political figures to be their messiah. Has Barack Obama saved you yet? When he was campaigning, his rallies felt like worship services. How’s that working out?

Did you know that Glenn Beck is a Mormon? Everybody is saying, “Oh, it’s so wonderful that they played Amazing Grace at his political rally.” He’s a Mormon, which means he doesn’t believe that Jesus is the only God! What does he know about Amazing Grace?

I don’t care who it is…no political figure on the left or the right can be your messiah. The government can’t be your messiah. No other person can be your Jesus. Your spouse can’t do it. Your boyfriend or girlfriend can’t do it. Your kids can’t do it. Jesus is the one and only person who is up to the task.

Anytime we look to someone or something other than Jesus to comfort us and complete us, we’re setting ourselves up for big trouble.

Listen to what David wrote in Psalm 63. If you look this Psalm up in Bible, it probably has this heading. “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.”

David is in the desert. He is being pursued by his enemies. A lot of us can relate to that. We’re dry. We’re parched. And we feel like we’re under attack.

Listen to what David said in that very same circumstance. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:1-8, NIV)

David knew who his Messiah was. And he wasn’t about to put his trust and faith in someone or something else.

God, you are my help. My soul clings to you. I seek you. I long for you. Your love is better than life. You will satisfy me.

The question for us is, “Is Jesus enough?” That’s the question. He was enough for David. Is He enough for you?

If He is really your Messiah…if He is really your Savior…then He is enough. If you have to constantly fill your life with something or someone else, then you really have to go back to the question of, “Do I really even know Jesus? Do I really have a relationship with Him at all?”

If you know the real, vintage Jesus…not some watered down, manmade version….if you know the real, authentic, vintage Jesus, then you know that He is enough. He is sufficient. He is what you need and He is all you need.

Let’s go back to Matthew 1. Start in verse 21 and let’s read a little further. The angel told Joseph, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

And then Matthew goes on to tell us that, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23, NIV)

Matthew goes to an Old Testament prophecy to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the one who was promised. He quotes straight from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, who told us that the sign of God’s chosen one would be the virgin birth. A virgin would be pregnant and give birth to a son. And that son would be called Immanuel, which means God with us.

Why would you want a pseudo-Jesus or a fake messiah when you have Immanuel? God with us?

The reason Jesus is all-sufficient…the reason He is enough…is because He is God and He is with us.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Jesus, Matthew, Messiah, Vintage Jesus