Sermon
delivered on January 31st, 2016
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Introduction
Throughout history, men and women
have been fascinated and in some cases obsessed by stones. There are those who are so captivated
by it that they are willing to spend millions of dollar for a stone.
A good examples of a very expensive
stone is the "Pink Star Diamond". It weighs 59.6 carats, about the
size of a quail egg. It is the most expensive gemstone ever sold at an auction.
This particular precious stone was sold at $83 million dollars. That's $1.4
million per carat or per 0.2 grams. One gram is roughly equal to 1 small paper
clip.
Why are gemstones like diamonds so
expensive? What makes diamond precious? What makes an object precious? For an
object to be rightly called precious, it should have the following three
qualities: rarity, beauty and
usability.
There are stones that are rare but
not beautiful, other stones are beautiful but not useful, and another stones
may be useful but not beautiful. But all these qualities are found in our Lord
Jesus Christ. He is rare, beautiful and valuable. These qualities are found in Him unto perfection. Christ is
truly precious.
This morning, consider with me the
Uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
Christ is absolutely
unique
Rarity or uniqueness is what makes
gemstone like diamonds expensive. They are not common. They are not like grains
of sand. You don't find them everywhere. They are hard to find. To recover the
relatively small amount of both gem quality and industrial diamonds is not
easy, even with today's technology. To produce just a one-carat polished diamond of gem quality
they have to mined
and processed approximately 250 tons (500,000 pounds) of ore.
But there is none as rare as our Lord
Jesus Christ. He is absolutely unique. This is why Christ is precious. He is
the only One. There is nothing else like Him in this world.
This morning, consider with me the
uniqueness of Jesus Christ in His person, birth, teachings, life, death, and
resurrection.
1. The Uniqueness of His Person
The Bible makes the claim that Jesus
Christ is both God and Man - two natures united in one. He was not half man and
half God, but totally man and totally God united in one Person. There is no
other religious leader has ever seriously made such a claim for no other could
support it by their life.
He made bold claims to deity, such
as:
John 10:30 I and my
Father are one.
John 8:58 Jesus said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
No other Saviour
Never has been, never will be other Saviour.
Isaiah 43:11 I, even I,
am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Isaiah 45:6 That they
may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none
beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isaiah 45:21 Tell ye,
and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared
this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD?
and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour;
there is none beside me.
Mark 4:39 And he arose,
and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was a great calm. 40: And he said unto them, Why are ye so
fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41: And they feared exceedingly, and
said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea
obey him?
John 3:16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 4:10 Be it known
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole. 11: This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the
corner. 12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there
is one God, and one
mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus; 6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in
due time.
I know this is a bold claim and if
you make a bold claim as Jesus did, you have to back it up. And our Lord did
back up His bold claim by His birth, His life, His teachings, His suffering,
His death, and His resurrection.
He is God's
unspeakable, indescribable and unfathomable gift to the world. He is the most
unique Person of the universe. He is the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth.
Jesus' person was unique.
2. The Uniqueness of His Birth
His birth was the most unique birth
in all of human history. He
is the only One that was born of a virgin, that is, He was conceived and born
without a human father.
The angel's announcement
Luke 1:30 And the angel
said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour
with God. 31: And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. 32: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Mary's response
Luke 1:34 Then said
Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35: And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
His conception and birth was the
result of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, the Son of God Himself took
up residency in a virgin's womb in embryonic form so that
after a natural nine-month pregnancy, she gave birth to a son who was also God's Son.
"The Word was conceived in the
womb of a woman, not after the manner of men, but by the singular, powerful,
invisible, immediate operation of the Holy Ghost, whereby a virgin was, beyond
the law of nature, enabled to conceive, and that which was conceived in her was
originally and completely sanctified."
- Pulpit Commentary
Jesus' birth was unique.
3. The Uniqueness of His Teaching
Skeptics and atheists say that Jesus
Christ taught nothing unique that cannot be found in the other religions of the
world. But the truth of the matter is, Jesus' message is radically different
from that of every other religion. So much of the other religions of the world
emphasize the external behaviors and acts. But if you read Jesus' "Sermon
on the Mount", you will discover that, it is not enough to just act
righteously - one must also think righteously.
Here are some examples of His unique
teachings:
1. Anger
Being angry and calling someone names
can land you in hell.
Matthew 5:21 Ye have
heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22: But
I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall
be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
2. Lust
Looking with lust at a woman makes
you guilty of adultery.
Matthew 5:27 Ye have
heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not commit adultery: 28: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart.
3. Enemies
You are to love all people and pray
for those who hate you.
Matthew 5:43 Ye have
heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
No wonder the people said after
hearing our Lord teach,
John 7:46 The officers
answered, Never man spake like this man.
Who can measure up to the standards
of God? None!
Romans 3:23 For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Jesus' teachings were unique.
4. The Uniqueness of His Life
His sinlessness
There are many so-called prophets and
teachers, such as Confucius, Lao-tze, Buddha, Muhammad, Felix Manalo,
Joseph Smith, but
none of them ever claimed being sinless.
But concerning Jesus Christ the
Scriptures plainly teach His sinlessness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 4:15 For we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus himself once challenged His
accusers ...
John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not
believe me?
No one was able to find him guilty of
anything.
When the religious leaders tried our
Lord, they could not find true witnesses, so they have to hire false witnesses
to bring false accusations against Him,
Matthew 26:59 Now the
chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness (evidence) against Jesus, to put him to death; 60: But found none: yea,
though many false witnesses came, yet found they none (no evidence to accuse
Him of to put Him to death). At the last came two false witnesses,
But the verdict of Pilate at His
trial has been the verdict of history:
John 19:4 Pilate
therefore went forth again, and saith unto them,
Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
Luke 23:4 Then said
Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
Jesus' life was unique.
1 Samuel 2:2 There is
none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock
like our God.
5. The Uniqueness of His Death
There are many people who have given
their lives for others. There are soldiers who
died for the country they love, there are fire fighters who died in the act of
rescuing, and there are policemen who have laid down their lives in an effort
to protect the people. Their sacrifice is very real and noble but certainly not
unique in the history of the world.
But the death of Jesus Christ was
unique. It is matchless. It is unparalleled. It is only one of its kind.
We know that Christ died by crucifixion. His death is unique, not because He
was crucified, (for there were many who died by crucifixion) but because it was
prophesied in the Scriptures long before death by crucifixion was known in
Palestine.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs
have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed
me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Another thing that makes the death of
Christ unique is the people
He died for.
Romans 5:6 For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7: For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would
even dare to die. 8: But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Jesus died for us when we were His
enemies. He
died for us when we were ungodly, when we have no thought of Him, no affection
for Him. He
died for those that had refuse to give Him affection, to give Him honor, to
give Him loyalty. He
gave up His life for those that have ignored Him. He gave up His life for those who have dishonored Him.
Still another thing that makes His
death unique is in the manner in which He died. The way in which He actually
died was miraculous.
John 10:17 Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18: No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father.
Jesus said, "I lay down my
life only
to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own
accord."
At the very moment of His departure,
He was not overcome by death. Rather, He voluntarily dismissed His spirit.
Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
John 19:30 When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his
head, and gave up the ghost (gave
up His spirit).
Jesus' death was unique.
6. The Uniqueness of His Resurrection
Confucius is dead and is buried in a
grave in the city of Ch'uFu, Shandong, China. Buddha
is dead and his ashes are buried throughout India. Muhammad is dead and is buried in Medina. Felix
Manalo is dead and is buried in the Philippines. Joseph
Smith is dead and is buried in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Jesus Christ DIED, was BURIED, but on the third day AROSE from the dead
and there is only an EMPTY GRAVE left because HE LIVES!
Mark 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of
Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place
where they laid him.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
There were also people who were
resurrected as recorded in the Scriptures but none can be compared to Christ's
resurrection. Christ's resurrection was unique because He raise Himself back to
life and He lives forevermore.
Jesus' resurrection was unique.
Challenge
Brothers and sisters, today, I have
attempted to show you one aspect of Christ's preciousness. He is precious
because He is absolutely rare and unique. Now, the question is, is He precious
to you? You will never see the preciousness of Christ, except by a personal
faith in Him. May God the Holy Spirit open your eyes that you may see Christ's
preciousness.
For those of us whose eyes and heart
the Lord opened, as we consider the uniqueness of Christ, we also need to
recognize this uniqueness demands our faithfulness, loyalty and commitment as
believers. Treasuring Christ will be evidenced by our obedience, by our devotion
to Him, His Words and His Kingdom.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvellous ligt; 10: Which in time past were not a people, but are now
the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Amen!