Who is Jesus?
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Essential Jesus
Essential Jesus
Who is Jesus?
What is the most important Question in all of human history?
Of course everyone is curious about their own existence: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? On top of that, many people wonder about the great challenges of our world today: How can we stop war and maintain peace? How can we cure various diseases? How can we eliminate poverty? How can we protect the environment?
There is one question though, that is more important than the rest: Who is Jesus?
Why is that question so important? Well, Jesus claimed he was God on the earth. That’s right, He said he was God’s promised messiah, the one and only savior of the world. And if that is true, then all the other questions about purpose are secondary.
Our world is full of information about Jesus.
The History Channel runs a series about Jesus every Christmas and Easter
Buddhists have beliefs about Jesus. “He reached a high state or became an enlightened person through buddhism.”
Muslims have beliefs about Jesus
Yes he was holy, and born of a virgin, and performed miracles
They say that he wasn’t divine, and didn’t die for people’s sins
Atheists have beliefs about Jesus
He was a good man, and wanted people to be good people.
Even people who call themselves Christians have differing views.
Think about it. Our world is full of information about Jesus - movies and plays, television and radio, magazines and books. Some of it is accurate, some of it isn’t.
But how do we find out who the essential Jesus really is? The best way to go about it is to go to the most complete source of information we have about Him. THE BIBLE
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Have you ever wondered what Christmas would look like without all the “Christmasy stuff”? I mean no manger, no stable, no inn, no donkeys, no shepherds, no Mary, or Joseph, or even a baby.
It’s hard to imagine isn’t it. But what we just read is the story of Christmas, without all of the Christmas type stuff that we normally think of.
The other three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) have a huge focus on the facts surrounding Jesus birth. But John goes behind the facts and gives us an even bigger picture, a supernatural picture.
1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching John’s Gospel
John’s Gospel has often been compared to a pool in which a child could wade safely and an elephant could swim. It is both simple and profound. It is for the beginner in the faith and for the mature Christian
John here starts by Calling Jesus “the Word”.
This is an interesting term that he uses here. I believe it is because God wanted to tell people about who He is, and so the sending of The Son is the statement from God to humankind. You want to know God, look at Jesus.
John 1:1 Tells us the word was God
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus isn’t simply a great teacher or healer, or a celebrity, or a leader. The essential truth about Jesus is that he was God on earth.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That’s a bold claim isn’t it? But if it is true then it has to make a difference in our lives.
The first think that I want us to take a look at today is the fact that Jesus is a new source of light in the world.
I recently replaced a light in our living room, and in doing so I decided to upgrade to the LED light bulbs. Because LED’s are more efficient you can put a brighter bulb in. So my new light had space for three 60 watt bulbs. Well I look down and see that a 14 watt led bulb puts out the same amount of light as a 100 watt incandescent. So I go with that one in the daylight color.
I get the light up and bulbs in, and it’s so bright. It’s practically blinding. You could stand outside our house and see everything going on in our family room.
I took it back, got the recommended brightness, and I love the light. It’s amazing what a new light source will do. I can find things so much quicker when I misplace my keys, which happens several times a day.
John in his Gospel is telling people that...
Jesus is a new source of light in the world.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
I’ve seen some photographers get all giddy on like a kid on chrismas day when they get a new light source. I’m like it’s a lightbulb,
“No Josh, its a Dynalite RK8”
As i was preparing to speak I came across some info about how important the right lighting is.
A good light pushes back the darkness
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2690 That Speck of Light
An artist once drew a picture of a winter twilight—the trees heavily laden with snow, and a dreary, dark house, lonely and desolate in the midst of the storm. It was a sad picture. Then, with a quick stroke of yellow crayon, he put a light in one window. The effect was magical. The entire scene was transformed into a vision of comfort and cheer. The birth of Christ was just such a light in the dark world.
Light represents what is good and pure and true. So when we hear “God is light” it means that he is good and pure and true. It is only Jesus who can Guide us out of darkness.
When God came to earth, he showed us just how bad the world was. How off track we were compared to how God originally designed us to be. Let’s face it, our world is a sinful dark place.
This reminds me of what happens every time I go to the movies. You spend two hours in the movie and it’s a really dark place, and every time I walk out its so bright. It’s shocking.
Our eyes adjust to light. In the dark places our pupils open to allow more light in so that we can see better.
And then when you’re in the light your eyes adjust again.
So many people when they experience Jesus, or hear his teachings they find him blinding. Because everything about Jesus changes everything. But what happens for some people is that they enjoy the darkness so much that when they experience the light of Jesus its blinding and they shrink back into the darkness.
But when you experience Jesus and come to know him and believe in Him, at first the light might seem blinding, but the longer you remain in it, the more that you adjust, and you go from blinding to enjoying the warmth.
Another thing that happens when your eyes adjust to the light is that things that are in the dark are difficult to see.
When our eyes are focused in the light, the things in the darkness aren’t as noticeable or as attractive.
Sometimes we as christians get focused on some of the wrong things. We watch the tv, we read the news, we think about who’s in office or who’s not in office, and we can get so negative. We get our eyes focused so much trying to see the darkness that we ignore the light.
I can’t imagine anything more miserable than a Christian who chooses to be so negative, when the hope of the world walks with us daily.
God has done so much for me (with a negative face)...
Light also does something else interesting, light can be very useful to a photographer. If used correctly its can bring out all of the best features of the subject.
Many of us as Christians get worried that when other people see or know the real us that they will reject us. But when we remain in the Light of Christ it allows us to better represent Jesus. It allows people to see God in us.
Is your personality enjoyable to others? When people see you do they see the light of Christ in you? Or do you look like any other person without the light of Christ in your life?
Jesus is the source of New Life
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
That reminds me of a verse in Romans that explains what this new life is
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
Our new life in Jesus...
Breaks the power of sin.
By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
So many Christians continue to live defeated lives. We talked about the gifts that we receive in salvation. But we can have a gift all we want, but until we open it and claim it as ours, the gift is of no use to us.
How silly would we look if we still had Christmas presents under the tree with our name on them 2 weeks after Christmas.
Not only does new life in Jesus break the power of sin, but
Its in our new life in Jesus that our Sin Loving Nature is buried.
Our Sin-loving Nature is buried
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
You want to know how you can tell God is working in your life? When you get more and more disgusted with anything that keeps you from being like Jesus.
So many of us want the benefits of faith in Christ, but many of the benefits of a life in Christ come through choosing to live our lives Jesus way. You get to be a forgiving person, by practicing forgiveness. You get to be a patient person by practicing patience. You get to be a prayerful person by practicing prayer.
I want to encourage you today. We live in a world where you can see the marks of Jesus everywhere.
TV and newspapers get paid to report the junk that goes on in the world. When we live in the new life that Jesus offers, and begin seeing the things that are lit up by his light, things look Good. God has been so good to us.
Have eyes like Jesus today. Celebrate his new life and his light that can change even the darkest situation to one full of light and hope and celebration.
Song
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.