The Real Jesus
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· 5 viewsWho is the real Jesus of the bible? This will be answered in this lesson.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
I want to begin by thanking Brother Brooks, all the hardworking brothers and sisters that make this work possible, and the church at Highland Heights for allowing me the privilege to preach God’s word tonight on this program. The church in Ramona, OK sends their greetings as well.
Though I’ve only recently become aware of this work I have already grown to greatly appreciate it and the wealth of biblical knowlegde that it offers all those with a sincer love for God’s precious message.
I’m thankful to be a part of this work and have been looking forward to this opportunity tonight, to preach on “The Real Jesus” of the bible.
Now before we go any further I want encourage everyone listening this evening to have a way of taking notes and have your bible ready to read the passages we are going to discuss.
This is two fold desire.
One I want you to be able to write down each verse mentioned, as there will be several that I do not actually read out loud but mention in connection to a thought.
Secondly, I don’t want you taking my word for anything, I want you to scrutinize what I have said and verify that it is accurate to God’s holy writ.
Now, not long after the “church of Christ” (Matthew 16:18) was started, as seen in Acts 2, God’s creation, mankind, found itself contaminating the real Jesus.
Whether it was the Jews that had become Christians, fighting to keep the law of Moses required for all Christians (Acts 15) or the gnostics that were trying to say “all flesh is evil” and therefore “Jesus couldn’t have been God and man” which, of course, the apostle of love demonstrates is incorrect (1 John 1:1-4).
I say all that to say this, distorting “The Real Jesus” is nothing new.
Now, whether we are talking about the “ancient” cases as just mentioned or more modern cases, that we will discuss in a bit, all of these have a common thread within them.
They all come from a false notion that Jesus is just a savior.
What do I mean by that, well there are very few people in the world that “believe in Jesus” that do not consider him their savior but there are a limited supply of those, that belive in Jesus, that also believe him to be their Lord, at least in how they view Jesus.
Jesus is refered to as Lord, in one form or another, 388 times in the New Testament alone.
The word Lord means “master.”
So when we talk about Jesus being our Lord and Savior, what we are saying is that he is our master of salvation.
This is significant because, though people often say, “Jesus is our Lord and Savior” they don’t always understand what this actually means, hence the title of this lesson “The Real Jesus.”
So this evening we are going to spend some time examing the real Jesus of the Bible as our Lord.
Now as I just said, Jesus as Lord means he is our master but what reality does that play in our salvation?
Well, Lord Jesus reveals that…
The Real Jesus Has All Authority
The Real Jesus Has All Authority
He Is The Very Source.
He Is The Very Source.
Jesus, himself, clearly declared this truth to those that were to take the gospel to “every creature” in Matthew 28:18.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
What exactly does this mean to say Jesus has all authority on earth and in heaven?
It means that Jesus is the beginning and end or the alpha and omega of “our faith.”
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Hebrew writer is declaring that Jesus is the one that is the author or foundation of our faith and the one that brings our faith to perfection or an unblemished completion.
It is Jesus that has all authority over “our salvation.”
If we want to be saved it can’t be found in what uninspired men write (writings outside of the bible), like creeds, confessions of faith, etc…
Also, if we want to be saved it can’t be found in our feelings either.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say, “If the bible says it I will do it” and then they read what the bible actually says about what Jesus actually teaches and they say “I know what it is saying but that’s not what happened to me and I know I’m saved because I feel saved.”
Ladies and gentlemen I cannot say it any clearer, the real Jesus has all authority over our salvation, not men, not even our feelings.
Peter would rightly proclaim it this way to those that didn’t believe that Jesus has all authority, in Acts 4:12…
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The pope doesn’t have this authority, Joel Osteen doesn’t have this authority, your preacher doesn’t have this authority, you don’t have this authority, and I don’t don’t have this authority.
So then, what does it mean to say the real Jesus has all authority over our salvation?
It means…
The Real Jesus Is The Word
The Real Jesus Is The Word
The Word In The Flesh.
The Word In The Flesh.
Let’s go ahead and read a very well known passage of scripture, that I’m sure most if not all listening today have heard or read.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Over the years, countless sermons, bible classes, and artlicles have been written concerning this passage and the powerful messege it conveys.
However, though the actually truth is often revealed and stated, the actual meaning is often lost.
By that I mean most will read John 1:1 and understand that it is saying Jesus, in the flesh (John 1:14), is the word of God lived out perfectly, but what does this actually mean?
Jesus being the Word means that he is our example of salvation.
Jesus, who gave up the perfection and comfort of heaven, to come down to this earth and be born of woman in the flesh as you and I (Philippians 2:6-7; Galatians 4:4), lived a perfect life in accordance to the “Father’s will.”
Now that last statement is what I want us to focus on.
Jesus, the Word, lived in accordance to the “Father’s will.”
The real Jesus of the bible didn’t follow the writtings of uninspired men.
5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
The real Jesus of the bible didn’t even follow his own feelings either.
39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
The real Jesus of the Bible is the Word because he lived out, as our example, of what it means to obey authority unto salvation.
That is why, as the Word who has all authority, we must follow him, because obedience to him “as the Word” is where salvation is found.
48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
So Jesus, our Lord, has all authority on earth and in heaven and Jesus, our Lord, is the Word which combined means the real Jesus of the bible is the one we must listen to and obey if we want to be saved.
These two impentrable facts mean…
The Real Jesus Has All Control
The Real Jesus Has All Control
No Mear-Man Has Control Over Salvation Today.
No Mear-Man Has Control Over Salvation Today.
In other words, if your preacher tells you you can be saved without actually obeying Jesus then he is wrong.
Has there ever been a preacher or person that calls themselves a Chrisitan say this, yes and no. No, no one says it that way but yes, but what they say they actually mean this; let me illustrate this using, what I was told is a true story.
There was a young man that was in a car accedent. When the parametics got to the scene they found the man had been thrown from his vehical and wasn’t likely to live. One of the parametics, a religious man, ask the young man if Jesus was his savior. The young man was able to get out, “I have never been a church going guy really.” The parametic explained the deadly situation the young man found himself in and ask if he would like to go to heaven. The young man said of course, so the parametic asked, “Do you have faith that Jesus is your savior and are you willing to accept him as you savior?” The young man replied “yes” and the parametic told that young man that he was saved. That young man died on the way to the hospital believing he had been saved.
Now I have no doubt many of you listen today have heard of similar stories, maybe even you have a similar story yourself.
There is no doubt a very real emotional pull to it.
So, why did I bring up this particular illustration when talking about preachers or others telling people they can be saved without actually obeing the real Jesus?
Because what this parametic actually said and believed not doubt, is a very common teaching concerning salvation and yet it does not actaully obey Jesus and what he teaches.
Let me exaplain what I mean.
First, there is only one way we can believe and have faith in Jesus and that is through actually studying the bible.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Second, we must believe and have faith before we can be saved.
No one can be saved without pleasing God.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Third, Jesus said there was much more involved with being saved than simply “having faith in him and accepting him as savior.”
Jesus said repentance or a complete turn from sin in our life to walking with God is required.
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Jesus said confession of him is required.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus said baptism, immersion in water, is required, not an option, to be saved.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
I could continue but this should be suffient enough for each of us to understand that the real Jesus of the bible is the one actually in control of our salvation not man.
It doesn’t matter what uninspired men, those that weren’t inspired to write the bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), like me say, it only matters what Jesus says through his word.
Now I would be remiss if I didn’t point out something that some might be thinking right now.
As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 points out “all” of the word of God is inspired or breathed out by God not just the “red letter sections.”
Yes, we are to listen to the words of Jesus but all of God’s word is just that, the inspired word of God the Father, Son, and Spirit.
They are in complete unity and as such what Peter, Paul, Luke, John or any other inspired writer wrote is by definition “from Christ” as much as the Father and Spirit.
Summary
Summary
So, the real Jesus of the bible has all authority on earth and in heaven, is the Word which demonstrated obedience, and he is in complete control of our salvation.
In other words, Jesus isn’t just our Savior he is our Lord or Master.
Conclusion
Conclusion
If we don’t obey our Master’s word we cannot be saved and if we are not saved we will not inherit the kingdom of heaven wherein we get to live with God the Father, Son, and Spirit for eternity.
It is vital everyone understands that Jesus is our Lord.
The real Jesus of the bible is who we must listen to and obey if we want to be saved and have the hope of eternity.
So what exactly do we read concerning salvation in the bible?
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.