Sermon Central
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The Jesus That I Know
Contributed by Thomas Donelan on May 19, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Get to know Jesus through His words and actions. See the Messiah, The God of love, compassion, and even His judgment. Learn of the Jesus who loved us in word and deed and the terrible price He paid to bring us salvation.
I. Introduction
There are many opinions on who Jesus is, and most of them are wrong.
-Jesus is not just a prophet (that is what Islam teaches).
-Jesus is not one of many Gods (that is what Hinduism teaches).
-Jesus is not brother to satin (that is what Mormonism teaches).
-Jesus in was not Michael the Archangel in a human form (that is what the Jehovah Witness’ teach).
-Jesus is not a God of hatred and condemnation. God does not condemn man but man is condemned till he is saved. It is like when you download a program from the internet onto your computer. There is a little box that has to be checked that says: Accept Terms. If you do not check it off, you will never be able to download it because you have rejected the terms by not accepting them. You do not choose between heaven and hell, if you do not choose Jesus, accept the salvation He so freely gives, you have rejected Him. (Now I am not trying to cheapen grace here, sin is a stench in the nostrils of God and a terrible price was paid for our sins, this is just an imperfect illustration showing that not making a choice is a choice.)
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
This is not the Jesus I know, the Jesus I have experienced and more importantly that I know from the Bible.
It is easy to understand why there is confusion about Jesus, as people have had questions about who Jesus is since he walked the earth:
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
II. The Jesus I Know
A. Is the Messiah
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. -Matthew 16:16
-Peter recognized Jesus as the Anointed One, the Promised One who would come.
-He is the Christ, the Passover Lamb who has been slain from the beginning of the world.
-He is the One who paid the price for our sin on the cross and redeemed us by His blood.
B. Is A God of Love
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
-Jesus beholding him loved him.
Beholding NT:1689 emblepo (em-blep’-o); from NT:1722 and NT:991; to look on, i.e. (relatively) to observe fixedly, or (absolutely) to discern clearly: KJV - behold, gaze up, look upon, (could) see.[i]Loved G25 agapaō Perhaps from agan (much;); to love (in a social or moral sense): - (be-) love (-ed). [ii]
-Jesus loved this man before he made his decision, knowing his weakness, knowing he would walk away. God knows our hearts and we can of our own free will walk away from Him, His love, His grace and sentence ourselves to a sinners hell. We would be walking away unsaved but not unloved. He loves you with and everlasting, pure, unconditional love but God’s holiness demands sin be paid for. As the old Fram Oil Filter commercial use to say, "you can pay me now or you can pay me later." We can bow now before Jesus as Saviour and Lord or later as judge. He will not force us, we must decide.
C. Is A God of Compassion
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
