Jesus Is... Intro

The last two weeks Lisa talked about what we risk and the excuses we give when we follow Jesus. She also talked about how God engages us in our story and how our story is woven into the story God has been writing since the beginning of time.

The rest of the year we’ll be talking about who Jesus is, woven throughout the Bible. If we are to be his followers, it’s important we know who we’re following. Right?!

Sure Jesus is God. We believe that by faith, but who is he really? What does the entirety of the Bible say Jesus was…say Jesus is?

We’ll be discovering that together by diving into God’s written truth…scripture…together. Maybe you’ve been a Christian your whole life. Good. We’re going to learn something new about Jesus, about God, together.

Maybe you don’t know as much as you’d like to about Jesus. Good. We in this, learning together.

Are you excited and ready for the new work God is going to be doing in us and our church?

Actually that’s two questions… are you excited? ...and are you ready?

Here’s a third question… Church are you expectant for God’s new work?

God continues to do a new work every day and I think, in order for us to know how to recognize what’s new, we must recognize how to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus we must first know who we’re following.

So this is why we’re going to spend some time learning who Jesus is.

Then next year we’ll dive in and discover more about who we’re supposed to be as his followers… as the church together… BECAUSE we’ll learn, over the coming months, about the one we’re following and the one who came here to build his church as the Cornerstone.

Our key passage for our new series I’m calling “Jesus Is...” will be:

John 14:6 (CSB)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus did not come to show us the way, nor has He come only to make the way, but to be THE Way. This is revealed through him as THE Truth, not some version of it, and manifested to us in THE Life only a saving, redeeming, and healing God provides.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is the way...

…the way...

There are different ways to do things, different ways to communicate, different ways to think… politically, religiously, philosophically, and so on.

There are different ways to drive… such as driving slow in the left lane versus passing people on the shoulder OR just following the rules of the road, without road rage, can be a good way to operate a vehicle that can simply be a means of transportation from point A to point B or become a deadly weapon in certain circumstances.

There are different ways to get somewhere, to navigate, unless you’re using Google Maps because it always tells you the fastest way to get somewhere and the fastest way is the best way… just saying.

What about different types of communication?

Verbal

Nonverbal

Written

Visual

Listening

Formal and Informal

Online communication is different than in-person communication right?

Then there's the whole emotional awareness in communication that can complicate things depending on whether or not someone is in tune to that or not.

How we communicate in difficult situations is different than when we're not facing a challenge or conflict.

I think it's important to understand how to communicate in all types of communication so we are able to become a communicator people listen to and we are able to better listen to others.

There are different ways to believe.

What are some different ways we as humans, across the globe, believe?

Let’s name some different religions:

Christianity

Islam

Buddhism

Judaism

Hinduism

Taoism

Atheism

Shintoism

Jainism

Confucianism

Bahaism

Sikhism

Lot's of isms...

Source: https://leslistes.net/top-10-popular-world-religions/

Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia was because they were doing things differently, believing differently, and trying to do something different than they ought to have been doing.

Paul held no punches and aimed at the jugular right out of the gate. His intention was to set them straight to do things the right way.

What was this right way? Let’s read and find out.

Who will come up and read Galatians chapter 1 verses 1-10 and who else will come up and read 11 to the end?

I’m sure you’ve heard it said if you want to give someone constructive feedback to offer at least 3 affirmations before the criticism.

Verses 1-3 are Paul’s lead in with affirmation, but then he jumps right to the point on page one of his letter to the Galatians.

Let me underscore that verses 3-5 are THE INTENTIONAL SUMMARY and whole point of the entirety of the letter from Paul.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

PAUSE— SILENCE—

That’s the Gospel message in its most purest and simplest form.

The Christians in Galatians weren’t doing things the way they were taught by Jesus. They weren’t following his way of life, in what he modeled, into the freedom of the new covenant.

GALATIAN CHRISTIANS HAD IT BACKWARDS

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

What was this “other gospel” that they were following?

Oh don’t we have many a “gospel” in our day and age?

In the particular case of these Galatian Christians, it was a fall back into the old ways of doing things. They were so used to living life with the ways of how their ancestors lived that it was difficult to break free from that old way of thinking to live the new way.

I think it’s important to get some context here about what exactly these early Christians were thinking as either being stuck or falling back into their old ways and also imposing it on new converts.

Let’s watch a clip from the Bible Project video overview on Galatians. It’s not the whole video, but just a clip.

PLAY VIDEO

So Paul’s purpose here was to bring clarification. Paul spoke quite directly to them… didn’t he? Sounds like his presentation method was needed. Paul delivered the truth of the way Jesus intended them to live so they could experience the new life he came to bring.

The Law wasn’t going to do that for them. Don’t go back. Let’s go forward.

Only Jesus could do this.

UNDILUTED GOSPEL

Paul said, “For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles.” Ga 1:12–16.

After Paul’s remarkable conversion experience, he wanted to get to know Peter. Remember Peter was the disciple of Jesus who was there in person for his entire ministry as a witness to it all. Paul wanted to hear and learn from him firsthand, from the horse’s mouth as they say. He stayed with him for 15 days.

But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you. Galatians 1:18b-20

Paul focused on being a bringer of the truth. The Galatian Christians were diluting the truth of the Gospel.

Paul wanted his readers to KNOW he was serious. He wanted them to know he was not lying or deceiving them. He acknowledged his prior resume of church persecution, but now he was changed. Now he declared the truth and the Gospel of Jesus was this truth— no dilution.

My friend Tim Morrall summarized this point by saying, “Don't dilute the Gospel. Stay true and get straight to the point."

Paul declared this undiluted Gospel of truth about Jesus and said there is no other gospel, period. Forget anything and everything else no matter how it sounds or who’s telling you about it.

Paul wants us to believe only the truth of the one who is The Truth.

When Paul said all this, he didn’t know how they would receive it or whether his rebuke and exhortation would be popular or not. I think Paul was okay with that because he knew the truth and was risking it all for the truth.

The word spread about Paul’s new life of truth. The churches themselves spread the word about him. They said,

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Paul labored a great deal, put his reputation on the line, and worked endlessly for God’s Kingdom to ensure everyone within his reach, by anything he could do, would be impacted by the Gospel of Grace.

This is how he lived. This is how he insisted all Christians to live.

Live for the Gospel.

Live like it matters.

Live like helping people understand about the Gospel matters.

Live in a way that everything you do in some context is working to make this happen.

GIFT OF GRACE

I want to make clear that we are supposed to work out our salvation with fear and trembling— meaning with seriousness and reverence to God; however salvation does not come because any work we do.

Salvation comes only from Jesus who surrendered himself to be sacrificed for us and took the punishment we deserved for our sins.

Paul said in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” and a few chapters later he said in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So this is precisely why we need someone who has lived life without sin to stand in the gap on our behalf.

That’s the gift of grace. We don’t deserve it. God gave it. Jesus did it. We receive it when we believe.

When we believe Jesus did this, we then receive another gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit who comes to indwell within us. In that very instant, God’s power begins working in us. Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

===> What I want you to take away from this is that God starts the work, God completes the work, and in between God carries it on partnered with us being servants of grace doing his Kingdom work in our lives every day.

Bible Commentary author, Richard R. Melick said this,

Philippians, Colossians, Philemon The Command to Work out Their Salvation (2:12)

Personal salvation brings with it responsibilities which Paul related to Christians’ obedience. The responsibility was to live in accord with their salvation, letting the implications of their relationship with Christ transform their social relationships. Paul really meant, in the first place, that they were to act like Christians.

SUMMARY & APPLICATION

“Don't dilute the Gospel. Stay true and get straight to the point." -Tim Morrall

I was talking with Brett McKee after service last week and he reminded me of a Christian Rock song, by the band Petra, called Seen And Not Heard.

“Seen and not heard Sometimes God's children Should be seen and not heard There's too much talk And not enough walk Sometimes God's children Should be seen and not heard” -Petra from their song Seen And Not Heard

QUESTIONS:

What is one thing you have done this past week to let the implications of your relationship with Christ transform your social relationships?

How have you actively lived your faith this past week when interacting with someone else?