Identifying with Jesus

ILLUST - Funny Nicknames - any to share?

In a world obsessed with “identification”

How do you identify?

How Can We Identify With Jesus?

1) Name-Calling

Two sexes, male and female

Dangerous idolatry - gender binaries!

Vatican even supporting gender fluidity

Marriage - one man and one woman

We are against “marriage justice” or “marriage equity”

Parents’ rights?

You are a domestic terrorist

Oppose atheists?

You are a prejudiced Christian nationalist

ILLUST: Extremists - Barna

Jesus is called “demon-possessed”

As in, “you are crazy, under some influence”

Puffed-up lunatic, or “paranoid”

POINT - When you name-call, you refuse to take someone seriously - and you superficially make yourself feel better than someone else

“Who’s trying to kill You?”

“Uh…remember when I healed on the Sabbath?”

“Oh....that, yeah...”

Basically - we don’t like your message, so you must be the problem

2) Purpose of the Law

Understand it, to identify with Jesus

To the Jews in leadership:

To lord over others

613 laws became thousands - dependent on the Rabbi

Ignored the basics, though

REM - Jesus - two commandments

Love God

Love one another

Jesus challenges them with murder, circumcision

POINT: They allow one body part to be dealt with on Sabbath (if 8th day)

But Jesus is in trouble for healing a whole body!

To Jesus

Point to Him

Law is tutor - Galatians 3:24

Galatians 3:24 NASB95

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

GOSPEL

All sinners - even breaking just one law - James 2:10

James 2:10 NASB95

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

10 COMMANDMENTS

First 4 - relationship to God

Next 6 - relationship to others

To understand Jesus, must understand your need for the Gospel

Yes, understand the Law

Understand you CANNOT keep it

So…then what?

3) Knowing The Father

First, a point on righteous judgment (v. 24)

Judging on appearances = misconceptions, erroneous conclusions

Confusion abounded about the return of Messiah

Those in vv 25-26 could not understand why this man was allowed to be teaching in the temple?

After all, the Jewish leaders know this isn’t Messiah, right?

Right? Really?

So they begin to assert that nobody knows where Jesus is from, or that He is not from the proper place

1 - Some say He’s from Galilee - Messiah can’t be from there

2 - Some say they know He’s from Galilee - and when Messiah comes, nobody is supposed to know where Messiah is from, so Jesus can’t be Messiah

Um….Bethlehem, hello???

Jesus: “You know Me, you know where I am from”

Buch of zealous, religious idiots! (Job 11:12, Biblical word

Knowing Christ - for us

They don’t know Him b/c they don’t know the Father (truly know Him)

V. 29 - He knows the Father, so to know Jesus is to know the Father

reconciliation is possible, must know the Father

This section - “will anyone come greater than this Man?”

Answer - NO

CLOSE - Reverse point order

Listen, consider, be challenged

Do you know the Father? Really...

This means you have trusted His plan - Jesus

You can recite a prayer, memorize the Lord’s Prayer, and not know the Father

The law, works

Lots of works-based “religion” around

How good a person do you have to be?

How good is “good enough?”

See Gal 2:21

Galatians 2:21 NASB95

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Stick to the truth, you’ll be called names

Racist, phobic, prejudiced, anti-woman

? ASIDE - quote: Strong men protect women; strong women protect children; strong families protect society

Society makes weak men, leaving women to be weak and children vulnerable

God knew what He was doing when He created man and woman

Name-calling

What does the world today think about our message?

First, what IS our message??

Do we sound more like the world or the WORD?

Best name to be called - Christian - “little Christ”

Jesus was literally perfect, and hated anyway

Forget what the world thinks of you, think of pleasing God

Want to call me names? Fine, I’ll ell you about Jesus

Racist? - I’ll explain how God created ONE human race, all need Jesus

Prejudice against marriage equity? - I’ll explain how God created marriage in Genesis, and how marriage between one man and one woman is God’s plan to point people to Him - reflection of His love for us, shown in Jesus!

Extremist? Narrow minded? - Yep, following Jesus puts me on that narrow path; but to be honest, those not following Him are the extremists, as they are extremely far from Him; But…Jesus does tell us to pick a side, His or not.

Christian? ABSOLUTELY, and I’ll explain what that means, born again, spiritually, a “little Christ” - at least i hope people see a little of Christ in me - the plan is for people to see a LOT of Jesus in me.

Call me a name that shows I follow Jesus, and……

I’ll show you Phil 2:10

Philippians 2:10 NASB95

so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Oh, by the way

Merry Christmas!

Not Happy Holidays - MERRY CHRISTMAS!