Who is this Jesus?
Prove It! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsThis is a question that is at the heart of every religion. If you are on a search for God, at some point you will have to answer this question. Every major religion in the world has had to answer, "Whom do you say that I am?" This in itself displays the preimenance of Christ because Christianity spends no time defining other religious leaders for there is no comparison between them and the ressurrected Christ Jesus: the Son of the living God.
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Introduction:
There are so many religions in the world how could you ever know which one is the right one?
Everyone is trying to worship the same God in different ways so what does it matter which religion you choose to do that?
These questions and many other like them are very prevalent in the world we live in today. I would imagine that you know someone asking these very questions or maybe even you are asking these questions.
This morning as we continue our series through the book of 1 John call “Prove It” I believe we can answer some of these questions or at least get you thinking in the right direction as you are searching for the truth about who Jesus is.
Inevitably in your search for God you are going to have to answer the question, “Who is this Jesus that everyone is talking about?”
There was a study done in 2013 after the world population hit 7 billion people defining the top 6 religions in the world and here are those results.
The Largest main World Religions in order are:
Christianity: 2.1 billion.
J. Warner Wallace. “Who is Jesus, According to Other Religions.” Demeber 4, 2017
Islam: 1.3 billion.
Hinduism: 900 million.
Buddhism: 376 million.
Sikhism: 23 million.
Judaism: 14 million.
(Sited from primaryhomeworkhelp.com. Mandy Barrow 2013)
The interesting thing about this study is that all these religions accept for Sikhism have taken the effort to clearly defined who they believe Jesus to be.
When Jesus came on the scene, He was such a powerful force that people immediately began asking this question. “Who is this Jesus?”
This is not a new question by any means, and it is one people are still asking today.
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Matt 16:13
J. Warner Wallace is an investigative reporter for NBC’s Dateline and has written a book entitled, “Cold-Case Christianity.” in December of 2017 he wrote an article call”Who is Jesus, According to Other Religions.” He begins the article by writing,
J. Warner Wallace. “Who is Jesus, According to Other Religions.” Demeber 4, 2017
J. Warner Wallace. “Who is Jesus, According to Other Religions.” Demeber 4, 2017
“People trying to discover the truth about God would be wise to take a hard look at Jesus before looking anywhere else. While that may sound like a bold assertion in and of itself, it really isn’t when you consider Jesus is the one religious leader who is most frequently mentioned by religious groups, whether or not they happen to be Christian. Every major religious movement considers Jesus to be an important religious figure. Every movement makes some effort to account for His existence and teaching. This ought to give seekers a reason to pause and consider the life of Jesus seriously.
(J. Warner Wallace. “Who is Jesus, According to Other Religions.” December 4, 2017)
Wallace goes on to give us some quick overviews of the beliefs about Jesus from these other world religions.
Jews believe Jesus was Mary’s son, was a teacher (Rabbi), had many disciples, was respected, performed miracles, claimed to be the Messiah and was crucified on the cross. They also acknowledge His followers reported Jesus was raised from the dead.
Muslims believe Jesus was born of a virgin, is to be revered and respected, was a prophet, a wise teacher who worked miracles, ascended to heaven, and will come again.
Ahmadiyya Muslims believe Jesus may have been born of a virgin, was a prophet and wise teacher, worked miracles, and was crucified on a cross.
Bahá’í believe Jesus came from God, was a wise teacher who had a divine and human nature, worked miracles, and was crucified and resurrected as an atonement for humanity.
Hindus believe Jesus was a holy man, a wise teacher, and is a ‘god’.
Buddhists believe Jesus was an enlightened man and a wise teacher.
New Age believers maintain Jesus was a wise moral teacher.
All these religions validate Jesus in some form or fashion. This is because his impact on the world is undeniable. Obviously you can’t believe everything you hear. So the real question is not, “What are people saying about Jesus?” but, “Whom do you say Jesus is?”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matt 16:15
Let me give you another undeniable fact. The greatest historical record that we have of Jesus is found in the pages of the Bible. The Bible has been proven over and over again to be a reliable and accurate source of information. It’s been dismissed but never disproven. The more that Scientist understand the and the more that archeologist uncover continues to prove the validity of the Bible.
The reason why this is so significant is because the story of Jesus is not just in the 4 gospels but spans throughout the entirety of the Bible in the form of prophecy sometimes thousands of years before the coming of Christ.
So this morning we are going to use this accurate source of the Bible to answer this question of who the Bible says Jesus is. And we begin with a warning from the Apostle John in 1 John chapter 4. Let’s look at it together.
Testing the Spirits
Testing the Spirits
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
1 John 4:
The Seven Realities of Christ
The Seven Realities of Christ
The overall conclusion of the Bible is that Jesus is the alpha and omega the beginning and the end.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Rev 22:
1) Jesus is the Creator God.
1) Jesus is the Creator God.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Jesus in not a mere man that gained a following through his teaching.
Jesus is the creator God and therefore the creator of mankind.
Being the creator God he deserves to be worshiped and praised.
Jesus is the expressed image of the invisible God.
It was prophesied that Jesus would come as Emmanuel: God with us.
Jesus took on the human form to reveal the character of God to Man. We understand the character of God through the life of Jesus.
When you look upon God you will see Jesus. Jesus is described very differently in his heavenly form than he was in his earthly form.
2) Jesus is the Word of God.
2) Jesus is the Word of God.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
We expression our thoughts, feeling, and emotions through our words.
As the expression of God, Jesus is given the title of the Word of God.
We observe a record of Jesus that is more than just a mere man, the image or manifestation of the invisible God.
It was prophesied that Jesus would come as Emmanuel: God with us.
3) Jesus is the Bread of Life.
3) Jesus is the Bread of Life.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:33
This was not an easy pill to swallow for many of the disciples in Christ day. Because Jesus was describing himself in terms that were reserved for God himself.
Jesus spoke of being “taken in” and consumed illustrating a oneness with his followers.
Many couldn’t handle this level of belief about who Jesus truly is.
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,
John 6:66-
Everyone must answer this question about Jesus, even his closest disciples.
Jesus is not just a belief system to be followed, but an inseparable relationship between God and Man.
Jesus is not just a belief system to be followed, but an inseparable relationship between God and Man.
Jesus said, “You must lose your life to save it.”
Becoming a follower of Jesus is to give up your life and let Jesus live through you.
4) Jesus is the Christ of God.
4) Jesus is the Christ of God.
26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
John 7:26,
The Jews had been promised a Deliverer, an Anointed one know as Messiah or Christ.
There was no question in the peoples minds that this was the Messiah. The awaited anointed one of Israel.
It was so evident that the religious leaders began plotting his death.
5) Jesus is the Lamb of God.
5) Jesus is the Lamb of God.
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 1:35
The wages of sin is death and separation from God. A penalty that we all find ourselves under.
6) Jesus is the Resurrected One.
6) Jesus is the Resurrected One.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Cor 15:
7) Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
7) Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Who do you say Jesus is?
Who do you say Jesus is?
Jesus is the only figure recognized by all the major religions of the world.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:4
If Jesus is who he says he is:
If Jesus is who he says he is:
If Jesus is who he says he is:
If Jesus is who he says he is:
Jesus provides everlasting salvation to all those who trust him with their lives.
Jesus provides purpose for our lives through following him and building his kingdom.
Jesus provides power to accomplish his desire of saving the world.
Jesus provides precious promises to carry us through the storms of life.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Next Steps:
Next Steps:
You have the same choice to make as the first disciples had to make. “Follow Me.”
Following is more than believing. When the disciples followed it was a complete 180 from what they were doing before.
Following Jesus is pledging your allegiance to him as Lord of your life.
If you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior there is no plan b.