Who is Jesus?
Notes
Transcript
It matters what we trust as our source of truth. We will always confess what we trust with our voice and with our life. Take for example the question,
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus?
Lots of different people have lots of different answers. And each answer ultimately depends on what they trust as their source of truth. Islam teaches that he is a great prophet born of a virgin, that will come again. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Mormons teach that he is the savior, and the perfect example of how to earn eternal life. The Catholics teach that he is God incarnate. But none of them teach that Jesus and his word are enough. Every one of them adds their own specific requirements for salvation. And even the protestant teaching of Scripture alone, often finds people taking his word far out of context and teaching beyond its original meaning. There are two ways we can interpret God’s Word. We can exegete it. Or we can eisegete it. It matters what we trust as our source of truth.
Who is Jesus is the most important question we could ever ask. For what we think about Jesus determines how we live our lives. And how we live our life displays what we trust.
Today, we will look at the question of Who is Jesus from three different points of view in our text. Who do people say that Jesus is?
Who do the prophets say that Jesus is?
And finally, who does Jesus say that he is?
All of chapter 8 has been Jesus telling the Jews who believed in him, we know that from verse 30 and 31, to test his words against the Father’s. He wants them to see the truth that is right in front of them, so that the truth can set them free. Instead, they have no real interest in hearing the truth, only their idea of it. That’s important. A lot of people claim to be worshipping God, like other religions, and those misreading Scripture, but they are really just worshipping their idea of God. It matters what we trust as our source of truth. We will always confess what we trust with our voice and with our life. In John 8:47, Jesus says,
The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”
He says if we are walking in God’s will, we will be walking by God’s words. When he tells them that they are not from God, that they have sacrificed the truth for acceptance and belonging, they react defensively and call him the worst thing they can think of,
The Jews responded to him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you’re a Samaritan and have a demon?”
This brings up our first question.
Who do people say that Jesus is?
Who do people say that Jesus is?
Crazy. They say that he is an unclean, out of his mind, demon possessed blasphemer against God almighty. Jesus responds,
“I do not have a demon,” Jesus answered. “On the contrary, I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges.
Jesus is saying, I ain’t crazy and I ain’t saying anything that the father’s word hasn’t already said about me. Jesus points to God and his word as the only real source of truth. “You have abandoned the truth for acceptance and belonging, I have not.” God and his word alone are good. This pushes back at the many people who have called Jesus a good teacher. In fact, I have heard many unbelievers call him this. But he addressed this directly in Mark,
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.
Notice what this man is trusting in. He wanted to earn eternal life. I can do it, just tell me what to do. But Jesus made him look to God, not to earn, but to receive what only God can give. Jesus suggests, that if he is just a teacher instructing people with his own ideas, he is not good. Leading us to wonder if the one teaching might be more than just some man.
This leads to another thought people often have about Jesus. They call him a man teaching rebellion against the religious establishment of his day. I have even heard believers use this as a reason why they do not go to church. Saying, religion is bad. It is all about relationship. But Jesus says with his words,
“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
And again,
“The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.
Jesus does not say abandon religion and give up gathering with the brothers and sisters, but to beware of those who know the truth but do not show the truth.
Where in your life do you know the truth, but fail to show the truth? Repent. Realize your need. Return to the truth.
Who do people say Jesus is? Crazy, a great man, and a good teacher who wanted to shake up the religious establishment of his day. But we have just heard through his own words that he is none of those things. So we see the people are not keeping his word, only trusting their idea of it. It matters what we trust as our source of truth. We confess what we trust with our voice and our life. Are we trusting ourself or surroundings?
Have we abandoned the truth for acceptance and belonging?
The prophets of Scripture never did. That takes us to our next question,
Who do the prophets say that Jesus is?
Who do the prophets say that Jesus is?
Truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
Then the Jews said, “Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be?”
They say, now we know you are crazy. All of our forefathers and all of the prophets who have kept God’s word are dead, and you claim that your word brings everlasting life? Who are you claiming to be? He does not answer their question, but goes on,
“If I glorify myself,” Jesus answered, “my glory is nothing. My Father—about whom you say, ‘He is our God’—he is the one who glorifies me. You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”
Even Abraham rejoiced that he would see Jesus, and he saw it and was glad. I don’t even fully know what that means, but can speculate that Abraham’s faith allowed him to see past his present moment toward the fulfillment of the promises of God. God told Abraham that all of the world would be blessed through him, and he was speaking of Jesus, the Messiah. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
All the prophets point to Jesus In the Old Testament. Each time they say, it is written, or that today this scripture has been fulfilled, God’s word is pointing back to the prophets who wrote of Jesus hundreds of years before he walked the earth. And Jesus says in
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But if you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe my words?”
Who do the prophets say that Jesus is? Abraham, Moses, and all the other prophets, pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. It matters what we trust as our source of truth. Are we trusting self and surroundings, or the Holy Spirit speaking God’s word through the prophets who point to Jesus? Which brings us to our last question,
Who does Jesus say that he is?
Who does Jesus say that he is?
The Jews replied, “You aren’t fifty years old yet, and you’ve seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
To their question, are you greater than our father Abraham and the prophets? Jesus answers, “I am.” Before Abraham was, I am. In the book of Exodus, God speaks with Moses on Mount Horeb, and Moses asks God his name. His answer was “I am.” Who does Jesus say that he is? God. The word at the beginning who was with God, and the word who was God. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. On Mount Horeb, he tells Moses I hear my people, see my people, and I have come down to lift you up. He is the great I am. He is God with us. If there is any uncertainty to what he is saying, look at the next verse.
So they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple.
Look at
Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the resident alien or the native.
They picked up stones according to the law of Moses, because this crazy man was blaspheming the name of Yahweh.
They believe what the prophets have written, but completely miss the one the prophets have written about. Because they have not trusted God’s word, only their idea of it.
Pastor Matt Smethurst says,
“There are only two options when it comes to our knowledge of God, we guess or he speaks, and he has spoken.”
So, Who is Jesus? Many religions and most of the world think he is a great man, who was a good teacher, that wanted to shake up the religious establishment in his day. But we have seen that they are not listening to him. Only to their idea of him. He speaks a better word.
The people said he was a demon possessed, blasphemer. Out of his mind and crazy.
The prophets said he is the Messiah, the fulfillment of the Scriptures.
And Jesus himself says, that he is God, speaking, before Abraham was, I am, the same name that God spoke to Moses on Mount Horeb.
Who is Jesus? He is either crazy, an out of his mind blasphemer, or he is God. He cannot be anything in between. He has made that clear.
Jesus came that we would know him. Not just our idea of him. He is urging us to look beyond ourselves, that we might see God.
These people are believing their idea of the word. But Jesus says their idea is wrong. He knows this because of how they are living. We confess what we trust with our voice and our life. Jesus says if we know him, but do not show him, it is not him we trust, but our idea of him.
So, ask yourself today, do I say, Jesus I believe you are who you say you are with my whole being, but then give myself over to my anxieties and fears? Do I abandon your truth for acceptance and belonging? In my life, I was furthest away from God when I was furthest away from his Word. I trusted myself and my surroundings. And I denied the Scripture and the Spirit, and as a result denied the Savior.
Praise God in heaven, he denied himself, so that we might know him. The Bible says that he went to the cross for the joy set before him, and that his joy is made complete when we trust him and his word. Are we trusting our surroundings, our self, or the Spirit who points to the Savior? It matters what we trust as our source of truth. We confess what we trust with our voice and our life. Let’s pray
Jesus you say in your word,
Truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
Help us not to just believe your word, but keep it.
Today is the day the church celebrates Pentecost. The day that the Holy Spirit was given, and the church was born. You tell us the world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But those who keep your word do know him, and he remains with us and will be in us, always pointing us to you.
Holy Spirit we want to Abide in Jesus. Which is just realizing our need and returning to your truth.
Holy Spirit we want to be transformed by Jesus. Through the word, our worship and with one another.
Holy Spirit we want to proclaim Jesus. With our voices and our lives let us lift him up.
You want our whole being. You want our trust. And people will know what we trust through our actions. Jesus you are God. Your word is truth. And your Holy Spirit is truth. You have given us both. And if we keep your word, your promise is eternal life. Let us walk in your freedom. Let us walk in your victory. And let us help others know who you are, by living lives that show who you are.