Easter Series - 6 Dangerous questions

6 Dangerous questions • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Who is Jesus?

Good morning, today we are stepping away from our walk through the book of Psalms for a few weeks and begin a small series to really prepare our hearts for resurrection Sunday or Easter. As you know Easter is the Church’s Most Holy day, is is our greatest of holidays and rightly so. It is the day, or for many of us the week that we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior, our king and captain. For many though Easter is just another day, it should not be so. We are Christians. And that statement “We are Christians” should express sense of gravity. Because it not only places a title on us, or identifies us to what we do and how we practice our faith (our rites, rituals, and traditions) or even describes where we will be on any given Sunday. Wearing the title of Christian goes deeper than that. It tells the world and ourselves what our convictions are and how we are to behave in this world. Identifying as a Christian not only means that I have understood my sinful nature, called out to God for forgiveness, repented of my sins, and asked Jesus to save me; it also means that I identify and establish my life to now live how God demands from His followers. It means that once I have accepted God’s great salvation, I also walk in agreement with His instructions, teachings, and His commands. Being a Christian means way more than Just my outward behavior, it means I allow God to change my inward person, my heart and my mind.

The apostle Paul so eloquently wrote in Rom 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Here Paul says about the Christian walk, it is not just the outward person that needs to change but the inward person as well.

When God comes into your life everything changes. You are born-again yes your behaviors change but so should your mind and the way you look at this world. One of the things that I learned early in my walk with the Lord is, You cannot stay where you are and go with God. You simply cannot stay in your old self and expect God to be with you. God is merciful and compassionate and will always meet you where you are at, but He doesn't want you to stay there. you are to grow in righteousness, and holiness. The way you view everything around you changes. Everything, your work, your community, your relationships, your friendships, your spouses, Social issues, political issues, the poor and the needy, everything changes. Once you begin this wonderful journey of faith your “world view” Changes. True Christianity is based in the Bible. If you believe that Jesus saves you it is because the word of God told you. If you believe that then you should also believe everything that the Bible tells you. Your study of the scriptures will help you navigate this life in ways that honor God for giving you this salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. So a few questions need to be asked… Does your world view line up with what the scriptures say? About, such things as your relationships, marriages, social views, political views, moral behaviors? Do you rely on the scriptures to help you find answers to struggles you are dealing with? Do you find that your views stand in opposition to what the Bible says? How do you square away with that? I mean if Jesus is enough to save you, surly you can and should believe the rest of the scriptures ? The problem we see in churches today and really in our culture is we cherry pick the stuff we like, and than disregard the things that don't set well with us…as if the Bible is half truth…But a half truth is no truth at all. That is why we have so many people living absolutely wrecked lives, because they think truth is relative.... it is not. One of the reasons for so many folks even in our churches today with wrecked lives is because they do not have a solid foundation of biblical truth guiding their lives. They fail to pursue a biblical worldview and they wonder why they fail and fail, and cannot walk in the victory that Jesus promised for them. They fail to surrender their lives, oh they may surrender their Sundays, twice a month but they do not surrender their lives to God and His instructions, commands, precepts, and Law.

In order to Begin Changing our worldview we have to ask the most dangerous question...

Who is Jesus?

Turn in your Bibles to the gospel of Luke 9:1-20

Who is Jesus? stands alone as the most important theological and objective question in forming our world view, how we view ourselves and how we view our role in the world. This question was asked a lot even in the Bible. Which bears significance that so many people asked this question. God wanted us to ask it our selves.

Mark 4:41 “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?””

Matt 26:63 “But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”” Luke 22:67 ““If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe,”

Luke 23:3 “And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.””

Acts 9:5 “And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

If i can conclude that Jesus is just one way, just one answer on a multiple choice test then there will be no conviction in my declaration. I have heard it time and time again, “oh Jesus is just one way to heaven, there are other ways to god” Look at their lives and their beliefs. I have yet met one person that had a wishy washy faith that didn’t have their life falling apart. When you drop Jesus in to the slot that Jesus is just another great religious leader then there are no core beliefs, or beliefs that have any weight.

Why do read about great people like Hudson Taylor, David Brained, Amy Carmichael do great things in this world because had had a solid bedrock conviction of who Jesus is.

One thing we need to realize is that we live in an age of pluralism - our culture in fact history culture does not has not embraced Absolute truth. Oh we will tolerate everything under the sun, except the belief system that affirms absolute truth.

Ex 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before me.”

2. Isa 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” Isa 48:11 “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”

3. Isa 43:11 “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.”

4. Phil 2:5-11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Even among the church pluralism is rampant , for example only 2/3 of “Christians” believe that jesus is the only way to heaven… why if you believe this do you even go to church? I mean you cannot accept Jesus as your Lord and savior and not know without a Doubt, John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The world says that Jesus is a good religious teacher but not the only way to heaven...

We need to be clear what the Bible says about Jesus - Our view about the Bible is going to determine our view about Jesus. if we have a low view of scriptures then we will have a low view of Jesus. “Oh I love Jesus I just don’t love the Bible, or His church” then you do not love Jesus. you may love an idea or your idea of Jesus but you do not Love the True Jesus, because you cannot find the true Jesus outside of the Bible.

Deut 6:4 ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Jn 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Heb 1:1-3 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Acts 4:12 “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.””

1 Tim 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

The witness of the scriptures is that salvation is found nowhere else. Therefore people outside of Christ’s saving power have no hope of salvation. The harshness of this must dig deep into our souls… This if we are to call ourselves Christian must be our conviction. Who is Jesus? is he the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world? or is He just another religious leader? Remember to be truthful with yourself even though that may challenge your heart and hurt your feelings, but we are talking about life and death, heaven and hell decisions… we dont want to go on feelings and what may make you feel better as a person… Who is Jesus?

If Jesus is truly who the Bible says He is then we need to see the implications - The implications of Jesus being who the Bible says he is will change my life forever. If I believe He truly is my savior, if I believe that then I start believing the other things that the Bible tells me. It will change my behavior, morals, actions and heart. It will begin to Change my worldview. If I can believe Jesus died for my sins, then I can understand why God don't want me using profanity, I can believe that He wants me to love my wife, do not become drunk on wine, do not commit adultery , or sleep around before marriage, my world view begins to Change. But believing what the Bible says about Jesus has much bigger implications

Gives me Urgency - i have a savior to proclaim 1 Cor 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

Makes me a willing sacrifice - Rom 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Phil 2:5-11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I will be filled with Love - we do not go in the world as witnesses to earn God’s favor, but we do so because of responsive love. 1 Jn 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

We will partake in cross-cultural outreach so that everyone may know - Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Application

So I will ask that question again Who do you say Jesus is?

Understand He did not leave us an option to that question He made it clear what our response should be you of course can choose to reject it, but understand there are grave consequences to it. the simple biblical affermantion is this

There is one God Deut 6:4 ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Who is the unique Savior Isa 43:11 “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.”

Who has revealed Himself through Jesus Jn 1:1-14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, an…”

If Jesus is the truth than your world view will be changed and enlarged, Do you believe Him to be the truth today?