The only safe place to go for an answer to that question is God’s Word. We will never know peace in our hearts until we fully answer that question.
In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked Peter, “But who do you say that I am?” In verse 16, Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter nailed it!
In John 1:29, we read, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” So, John the Baptist got it right.
On the night that Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds who were watching over their flocks. They were terrified. But beginning with verse 10-12, we read “Don’t be afraid!” he said, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the LORD—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Later in the chapter, we read of how the shepherds did go and they found the baby just as the angel had said. In verse 20, we read, “The shepherds went back to their flocks glorifying and praising God for all they had seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Initially, they were terrified. Now we find them testifying about this great event.
Folks, I find it so hard to understand how people who have come to a personal faith relationship with Jesus Christ can be so hesitant in telling others about Jesus. Do we believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world? Then, we should tell others and leave the finished work to the Holy Spirit.
1. Jesus personally claimed to be God.
John 5:18, “So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill Him. For He not only broke the Sabbath, He called God His Father, thereby making himself equal with God.”
In John 8:58, Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM.”
In John 14:10-11, Jesus said, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father, who lives in me, does His work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least because of the work you have seen me do.”
2. Jesus shares the very essence and attributes of God. Consider these verses:
· John 1:1-3, “In the beginning the WORD already existed. The WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.”
· Paul, in Colossians 1:17, wrote, “He existed before anything else and He holds all of creation together.” This reminds me of the song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” What an awesome thought.
· In Colossians 2:9, Paul also wrote, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in human body.”
3. Jesus is eternal. In John 17:5, Jesus prayed, “Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.”
Listen to what Paul shared with the Philippians in 2:5-11 (NLT):
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor And gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Peter, who at one time denied he even knew Jesus, recorded this in 1 Peter 1:20:
“God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days, He has been revealed (made known) for your sake.” How blessed we are that Jesus has been revealed to us so that we can know Him personally and have the greatest of all relationships with Him.”
4. Jesus is both the divine and human interpreter of the invisible God.
In Hebrews 1:3, we read, “The Son (Jesus) radiates God’s glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.
John 3:18, “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”
Matthew 11:27, “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
5. Jesus was worshipped as God. This is huge.
Luke 24:51-52, “While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up to heaven. So, they worshipped Him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.”
Matthew 8:2, “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Him and knelt before Him: ‘Lord, the man said, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Verse 3, “Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be healed.’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared.”
What an awesome Savior and Lord we have. Here are some other passages you can look up:
- Matthew 14:33; 16:16; 20:20
- Mark 7:25-30
- John 9:32; 35-38
Folks, Jesus is the most unique person who has ever lived. He became one of us, but He was also God in the flesh. He is so worthy of our worship and devotion. Give Him all the glory.
Blessings, Pastor Leonard
