Who is Jesus Christ? 10.16.22

Who Is Jesus Christ? October 16, 2022 Good morning! We are excited you are here-whether you are in person/joining us online-God bless you for gathering with the family of God to worship and grow in faith. (All this on one slide-maybe a watermark of an overhead view of LEC?) Lake Erie Church is a special church-different from others in several ways- 1. We have been a voice of hope in this community for almost 60 years. (Between 3,850 to 7,700 houses of worship closed per year in the United states during the past decade). We are still here. 2. We are focused on generational ministry. (6 existing generations)-we believe Generations Matter. 3. We believe in the value and worth of every person. There are people here for whom English is not a first language, people of color, people who were not born in this country and yet they form the tapestry of Lake Erie Church. 4. We believe in the full Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed in the spirit and power of Pentecost. We don't cut corners but we stand for truth in love to all people. So this is not just your average "run of the mill" church. So I guess I'm saying you made a good decision to worship here today. (of course I'm the proud senior pastor) We continue our GROW series today in which we are seeking to understand the foundations of our faith in order to be God's witness in a world that increasingly does not know him. In past weeks, we looked at the questions Who is God? Who Am I? What is Sin? and today we ask the question, Who is Jesus Christ? We read today from John chapter 1... (John 1:1-5) In the beginning the Word (Jesus) already existed. The Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He (Jesus) existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him (Jesus), and nothing was created except through him (Jesus). The Word (Jesus) gave life to everything that was created, and his (Jesus) life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. It will help, I think, if we start with understanding the teaching of the Trinity. We believe God is One God in three persons (God, the Father, The Son, (who is Jesus) and God, the Holy Spirit) (Example:--An apple is one piece of fruit, the core, the flesh and the skin-it's one apple in three distinct and essential parts). In the same way, God is one but is manifested in three distinct persons- * Some have supposed that God transformed himself into Jesus when he came down to earth and then when He ascended back to heaven, He then came back as the Holy Spirit. * But in reality, God sent His son into the world (John 3:17) and spoke over him at John's baptism "this is my Beloved Son..." and the Spirit was manifested by the dove (Matthew 3:17)... * Jesus spoke of the Father as someone He prayed to, heard from and carried out His will on earth (John 14:16). * He promised the Holy Spirit would come and would teach us about Jesus (John 14:26). So when we speak of Jesus Christ-we are talking about the 2nd person of God-a distinct person of God. What do we know about Jesus Christ? * He was born in Bethlehem in a manager to a virgin girl named Mary. * His birth occurred miraculously as predicted by prophets hundreds of years before He was born. * He lived 33 1/3 years before dying at Calvary. * Jesus is the center of Christianity-the divider between the Christian faith and every other religion in the world * Jesus is the launch pad to eternal life * He performed many miracles, taught the Kingdom of God and died as payment for the sins of all humanity. There's an interesting closing thought by John in his Gospel concerning the ministry and presence of Jesus on earth... (John 21:25) Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. Please notice an exchange Jesus had with His disciples about a year or so before He died... (Matthew 16:13-17) When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The question of what you believe about Jesus is before every human being who ever lives... The BIG Question--Who Do You Say That I Am? * The inquiry by Jesus about what others thought is just an opening to the real question-WHO AM I TO YOU? * How you answer this question is the biggest moment of your life! o Is he God or is he a heretic? o Is Jesus Christ the son of God or is he an imposter? * Everybody has an opinion about Jesus Christ... o A 2020 Survey by LifeWay Research indicated that 52% of Americans no longer believe Jesus Christ to be God's Son. o As society becomes more secular-this drift is important because if Jesus is not God's Son then... his death at Calvary is not redeeming and His shed blood is no more powerful than mine and yours! * Satan has always challenged the theology of Jesus as God's Son. * In the desert temptation (Matthew 4) * His appeal to Jesus to "show off" by doing incredible feats. o Turn rocks into bread. o Jump off a cliff so angels will save you. o Jesus did not have to prove his deity to Satan. * What Jesus are you following? o If your view of Jesus always hates the same things you do, the same people you do, the same types of things you do-you might be at risk of chasing a Jesus that you've created. * A true view of Jesus challenges my biases, preferences and judgmentalism, and changes my heart to be more compassionate and grace-filled. * If my reading of Scripture always makes me feel right and righteous I'm probably skipping over some things. o The kind of Jesus you worship is influenced by many things. * Media * Experiences * Race * Scripture o The kind of Jesus we see in our mind's eye has an impact on the kind of follower we are going to be. o Jesus is not subject to our opinions or views of him. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God * From the Hebrew meaning "anointed One" or the "Chosen one" o There is no other person on earth like him o His mission is exclusive-no other person could have fulfilled the prophecy, the expectations and the mission he was sent to do. * The importance of the term "Messiah" * No other person can save us. (Acts 4:12) There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. * As Christ He fulfills all prophecy, He fills all space and everything we do is about Him! * He's on every page in your Bible (John 5:39-40) You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. * Regardless of what others may believe... o God is alive and Jesus is His Son. o Can't believe in God and not believe in His Son. o Can't believe God loves you without believing God loved you enough to send His Son to die for you o Can't believe in God's power without believing that power raised Jesus from the dead Conclusion: The question before each of you today-Who Is Jesus Christ To You? The question Peter asked when Jesus wondered if the disciples would also walk away as others had... (John 6:68) Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life