The Real Jesus

Intro

Apologetics

1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

Making a defense of our faith

Who was Jesus?

Was He different from the God of the OT?

Was He a Social Justice Warrior?

Was He really divine?

Hebrews 1:1-4 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

Different Gods

The God of the OT is different than the God of the NT

God, the Father, is grouchy and mean, Jesus is meek and mild

The Godhead saved us from His wrath, The LORD is one

Jesus was meek, but He was not mild

The world doesn’t hate a mild Jesus, He said the world hated Him and would hate us

The world is not offended by a mild Jesus, the world is offended by Jesus

A mild Jesus would not have been crucified

But “God loves you just the way you are.” NO!

Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent is to change, God loves you and that is why He tells us we need to repent

Let us reverse roles for the sake of the argument

Jeremiah 31:33-34 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.””

Hosea 2:14-20 ““Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.”

Matthew 23:33 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”

Matthew 25:41 ““Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

It was God’s plan to redeem His people, Jesus did what He saw the Father do, and the death of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins was the will of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Social Justice Warrior

Culture has constructed this argument that to speak against social justice is to say you don’t care about justice

The term social justice is loaded

Jesus didn’t die for our sins, He died in opposition to the powers that be

Power struggles, Marxism

Haves and have nots

After hearts and changed lives not changed government

Atonement theology vs. liberation theology

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Jesus Fully Human, Not Divine

Miracles didn’t happen, didn’t really rise from the dead

He was a good man, teacher

High Christology was added later

1 Corinthians ~ 55 AD

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

Jesus’ death ~ 30 AD

Paul’s conversion ~ 32 AD

Then Paul spent 3 years away learning; Galatians 1:15-20

Paul talked with Peter and James the brother of Jesus ~ 35 AD

This high Christology in 1 Corinthians was written 25 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the confirmation of this Christology was only 5 years after it happened

9/11 happened 22 years ago, you can tell me what took place

All this points to a high Christology from the start

Add to that:

The resurrection was at the center of early Christian preaching

The resurrection was preached in Jerusalem where the claims could have been verified

Add the fact of radically changed lives, like James who was a skeptic, and the resurrection had to happen

Summary

Now we have to ask the question, was it true or was it not true

The answer to that question comes down to faith

What will you choose to believe?

My thoughts, there are plenty of reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead

If Jesus rose from the dead, then I believe all of it

If the resurrection happened, then the rest of it is easy to believe

Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God, the Way, the Truth, the Life

Jesus was one with the Father, not in opposition

Jesus came to set us free from our sins

Jesus offers eternal life to all who believe

So What

Let’s read that first text again:

Hebrews 1:1-4 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

It is important to believe and hold to the real Jesus as handed down to us through Scripture. The Gospel message hinges on Jesus. Through Jesus we have salvation, hope, redemption, love.

Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Our relationship with God was lost

Adam and Eve hid from God

God pursued Adam and Eve

Jesus was, is, the culmination of God’s pursuit of us

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus loves you and died for you, He has gone to prepare a place for you, and He will come again to take you to be with Him, like we were supposed to be in the garden.

Let us give our entire selves to Him, as He gave Himself for us, and tell those around us of this wonderful Good News.