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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/david-alves-jr/jesus-of-nazareth/
Now, please read with me in John chapter 1 and verse 45. John 1 and 45, Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Now we'll go to John 19 and verse 1. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged them.
And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they put on him a purple robe and said, Hail, King of the Jews. And they smote him with their hands. We'll go to verse 18. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.
And they took Jesus and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where there they crucified him and two other with him on either side, one and Jesus in the midst.
And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. This title then read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city.
And it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Then said the chief priest of the Jews to Pilate, write not the king of the Jews, but he said, I am the king of the Jews. We trust that the Lord will bless his reading.
When we read the word of God, we find that the Lord Jesus has many titles, very many names. It is precious to read in the Bible concerning the Lord Jesus, that he is the mighty God. It is very beautiful to read in Corinthians that the Lord Jesus, he is the Lord of glory.
But when you read in Matthew chapter two, you would find there that it is mentioned that Christ would live in Nazareth and that he would be called a Nazarene. Now, tonight, I would like to consider a few things regarding the Lord Jesus, the Nazarene.
And I wouldn't want to focus in this name of his in order to only see his humiliation, but that rather we would exalt him, those of us that are saved. And if you would be saved tonight, you as well, that we would exalt him through his humiliation.
We are convinced of the truth of Philippians two concerning the Lord Jesus, that he has been given a name that is above every other name. But in the scriptures, we find that he is called the Nazarene and those of us that are saved, we love to sing.
I love to sing. There is a name I love to hear. I love to sing its worth. It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth. But you and I must consider that one of the names of the Lord Jesus is the Nazarene.
There are many times in the Nazareth. And first of all, consider with me the surroundings of the Nazarene. After our Lord was born, he was taken to Egypt. His parents, Joseph and Mary, were fleeing from that evil governor that sought to take the life of our Lord Jesus.
And after some time, the word of God in Matthew two tells us that he was brought to Nazareth. And he would live in that city until he was a man and he would begin his public ministry when he moved to Capernaum.
Now there is a significance in the location of the city. Nazareth is a city in Galilee, way in the north of Israel. The region in which the city is, there are many hills. And the geographical location of Nazareth would give this city a commanding view of biblical sites surrounding it.
And we think of the Lord Jesus there being raised in Nazareth, 1300 feet above sea level. And he could possibly see the Sea of Galilee. And he knew that there he would feed the multitude. The Lord Jesus, as a boy or as a young man, from a distance he could see Mount Hermon, quite possibly the mount where the Lord Jesus was transfigured.
And how much joy it would have filled his heart to think of that day when he would go up that mountain with his three disciples and he would show forth his glory. The Lord Jesus could also see Mount Carmel and how he would remember of the powerful God that he had and how he had displayed his power to those pagan prophets.
Although he probably couldn't see it, I would like you to think tonight that in the surroundings of our Lord of the Nazarene, living there in that city that was so despised, there is no doubt that he thought of Mount Calvary.
There in the poverty of the city where he was brought up in, he would think of his glory. In the poverty of his home, he would think of that place where he would feed the multitude. Oh, but there is no doubt that continually growing up as a young boy and as a young man there in Nazareth, his mind was fixed on Calvary.
Could it be possible that being there in Nazareth, he would be aware of the prophecies of the Old Testament? Way back there in Genesis, he knew that it had been prophesied concerning himself that thou shalt bruise his heel.
And he knew that he would have to go to a cross and his heel would surely be bruised. He knew the law of God in a perfect sense. And there is no doubt that he knew all of the prophecies that spoke concerning him and his death on the cross.
But there is no doubt that he would think perhaps of Psalm 22, they have pierced my hands and my feet. And he would think of those nails being driven into his hands and into his feet living in Nazareth.
But could it be as well that he was completely informed of what Zachariah had prophesied? And there growing up in Nazareth, not only would he think of him being hung on a cross, but he would think of what Zachariah said.
It is a very intimate moment where we find conversation in the Godhead. And it says, O sword, against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow, smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered.
The surroundings of Nazarene, of the Nazarene. And what I would like you to think about tonight is that he was aware there where he was brought up of what would happen to him at Golgotha. But could I remind you that he was thinking of each of you personally?
And myself, thinking of our sin and how lost we were in our sins. And his love, his compassion, his interest in us. He was willing to grow up knowing that he would suffer immensely on that cross. And we love those words of John the Apostle here in his love.
Not that we love God, but that God loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation of sin for our sins. And Paul could say to Timothy, this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
And we would like to ask you, have you considered the possibility that you would be a sinner before God? And there the Lord Jesus was interested in your sin and in mine. And you know, we could also think of the shame of the Nazarene.
There is no coincidence in what Nathaniel said. Philip, with much excitement, had revealed to him that they had discovered the Messiah, the anointed, the elected of God. And Nathaniel asked with much sincerity, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?
There was nothing to boast about if someone was from Nazareth. It was not something to be proud of. It was something that brought much shame to the people that were there. You remember Peter, the people that lived in Nazareth and in that area, they even had a different way of speaking.
And you remember Peter, when he was in the process of denying the Lord, someone recognized that he spoke as the Lord Jesus. And there we find the Lord Jesus being brought up in this city. But the city was marked by sin and immorality.
And the Lord Jesus took this city as his. What a shame. It must have brought to the people in Nazareth that the Old Testament never mentioned that city, not even one time. And it is no coincidence that we sing sometimes, We saw thee not, when thou didst come to this poor world of sin and death, nor yet beheld the cottage home in that despised Nazareth.
But we believe thy footsteps trod upon the ground, and streets and plains, thou son of God. And we think of the Lord Jesus. And not only was there the reputation of being from Nazareth, but think with me of the upbringing of our Lord Jesus in that place.
And we must remember the words of Paul to Corinthians, He know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sakes, he became poor. And he had to live there in Nazareth with a shame that was associated with it, but also with the poverty in his home.
And now we would see many people in this world that are concerned about what the world thinks of them. What do my friends see in me? What do the people at school or at work? How do they view me? And it is very challenging to my heart to be at this conference, and to think of the loss that I could have at the judgment seat of Christ for not serving the Lord Jesus in the way that I should, because of other things that have distracted my mind.
And yet how tragic, how solemn it is to think that because of friends, that because of activities, that because of different things in this world, there will be people that will perish for all eternity.
There is no shame in being saved. And those that are in the meeting would agree with me. Living a Christian life is not associated with sin either, but the world does see it as a shameful thing. And may you be able with the help of God to value the soul that the God of heaven has given you, and that you would not let anything hinder you from going to the cross and trusting in the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
You think of that young rich man, and he went to the Lord Jesus, and he wanted to be saved. And we read in Mark that Jesus beholding him loved him. And it says that the Lord Jesus asked him to take up the cross and follow him, to sell what he had and give it to the poor.
And we read that the rich man was sad at that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions. We think of that other person that came to the Lord Jesus, and he was more interested in going to bury the dead, his father.
Or the other one that wanted to go to his home and bid farewell to his family before he would follow the Lord Jesus. And I wonder what it is for someone in the meeting tonight. Maybe nobody else knows what hinders you to be saved tonight, and yet you are very aware of it.
And we trust that you would leave that behind, and that you would be saved. That you would understand the consequences that there are in someone that gives more value to anything else than the Lord Jesus, to be eternally in the lake of fire.
But when we consider the life of the Nazarene, Jesus of Nazareth, we could think tonight of the sufferings of the Nazarene. We read there in John that Pilate took him and commanded his soldiers to scourge him.
And those men with much violence, with much hatred in their hearts, would take those whips and open his back. And those whips would pull that flesh from his body, what a suffering. And those soldiers would buffet him.
It is no wonder that Isaiah had prophesied concerning the Lord Jesus, that his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. The physical suffering that I could never describe to you, with the detail in which it took place, caused the Savior of the world to not be recognizable because of all that they did to him.
And they took that crown of thorns and they placed it upon his head. And in mockery they said to him, Hail, King of the Jews. They only recognized him as king when they were making fun of him. Hail, King of the Jews.
And we read that John said that the Lord Jesus, there in his body, submergence in blood, and all the suffering that he had already endured. And he was presented before that multitude. And Pilate asked them what he wanted he should do with him.
And the response of that crowd was away with him, away with him, crucify him. The Lord Jesus then was made to carry that cross and he went his way to Calvary. And there he was lifted up, having been nailed alive to that tree.
And he hung there. Oh, that you would get a glance of the suffering Nazarene. That you would not despise or be ungrateful one more day for all that he did for you on that tree. We think of what we have read.
Already hanging upon that tree, upon, above him it was written, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. The Lord Jesus there as a little boy and as a young man knew what it was to be associated in shame with Nazareth.
And yet what a shame that it brought to his spirit to have to be there hanging, abandoned, forsaken. And those soldiers took his garments from him and he hung there naked. And there the Son of God had to endure the complete, the total, and the powerful wrath of God upon him.
And many of you know the words that Isaiah said concerning the Lord Jesus, but perhaps you have never appreciated them in a personal sense. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. And yet we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God and afflicted.
And think with me of the one that was wounded for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. And Isaiah continues to say, all we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to our own way. And if I could only, with the help of God, make you understand one thing, that you would remember that the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all. And though I am saved and though I will be in heaven with that one that hung upon the tree, Jesus of Nazareth, I will never ever understand why it was or how it was that Isaiah could write of the Lord Jesus, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.
And the Lord Jesus there with nobody to accompany him, with none to help him, he bore that enormous load of our sin. Oh, the sufferings of the Nazarene. We sang not too long ago, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene.
The Lord Jesus finished the work that God had given him to do. And he exclaimed that it's finished. This Christ of God had obeyed God in every sense. He had bore each and every one of our sins. And we simply would ask you that you would trust in the Word of God.
You would be saved. Baptism will not save you. Your good works will do no good. I cannot understand how someone can contemplate the work of Christ on Calvary and think that they can still add something to it.
Discover tonight for the first time in your life there is nothing to be done. Christ has paid it all. And I am thankful that on October 29th of 2013 years old, I simply understood that Jesus Christ had died for me.
And I rested upon the work of Christ. And the Word of God promised me that I was saved. Are you saved tonight? We ask that you would consider the finished work of Calvary and simply believe in him. But I would like to finish by saying something of the supremacy of the Nazarene.
And that sounds contradicting for we have associated Nazareth and the Nazarene with shame, with suffering. But I am very glad that tonight my Savior is in heaven and I can associate him with his supremacy.
How precious it is to read that after the Lord Jesus had died and he was put in that tomb. Mark tells us that three women came to the tomb. They were worried about that stone and how they would roll it away.
And when they arrived, the stone was rolled away. And Mark tells us that they entered the sepulcher of the Lord Jesus. And they were frightened to see the angel that was there. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid.
Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead. And he was showing the world that he had completely satisfied his father.
There has never been a son that has pleased his father as much as the Lord Jesus. And I say that very easily. And yet it brought him much pain and much suffering, but he pleased the father. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead, not only to teach us that he had pleased his father, that he had fulfilled his work, but he was also showing that he had died not for his sins, but for the sins of others.
If he was a sinner, he would not have been able to raise from the dead with his own power. And yet he did. But the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and he said to them, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
But I want you to think of this before I close. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said, If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if our Christ is not risen, then is our preaching in vain.
And your faith is also vain. I'm thankful that this meeting is not in vain, and I trust that you will not make it in vain. But Paul says to the Corinthians, But now Christ is risen and there is enough proof in the scriptures and in history to prove that Christ rose from the dead.
And how does that affect you tonight in this center? Because we learned there that Paul taught to the Corinthians that just as Christ rose from the dead, each one of us that is seated here will one day also rise.
And the question is, will you rise for life? Will you resurrect and be in heaven for all eternity after death because you have believed in Christ? Or could it be possible that tonight, considering the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, you would once again go away, not believing in him, and that God would take your life and that you would resurrect far from life, far from the hope that is set before us for those that are saved, far from the Savior that wanted to save you, but that you would rise for condemnation?
Be safe tonight and just think of Jesus of Nazareth, of the one who is willing to save you tonight.