One Extraordinary Life Series

One Extraordinary Life

God in Five Weeks, part 4

Wildwind Community Church

David Flowers

10/15/2006

My head is filled with songs about Jesus from the hymns and choruses I learned growing up in the church. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. Fills my heart with longing – keeps me singing as I go.” “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong. “Jesus, name above all names. Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Emmanuel, God is with us, Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.” “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands; I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. Than to be the king of a vast domain, Or be held in sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.” And then of course there’s my personal favorite.

We’re going to look at Jesus this morning and I have to tell you that as a preacher, sermons about Jesus are my favorite. I’d rather talk to you about Jesus than about prayer, about heaven, about living godly lives, about faithfulness to our spouses (although I’m a big fan), about anything. There’s nothing higher, nothing purer, nothing more praiseworthy or admirable than the life of Jesus. No life was ever lived like his, and no life ever will be again. I can’t begin to imagine how many people have died with His name on their lips. Jesus’ life was one extraordinary life, wasn’t it?

I want to make four points to you today. First I want to show you that Jesus believed He was God, and knew at the same time that He was God’s Son. In other words, Jesus believed in Himself as God the Son. That’s what we’re dealing with here in our series on Trinity isn’t it? God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Second, Jesus’ life accomplished what no other life has ever accomplished. Third, Jesus’ death accomplished what no other death has ever accomplished. And fourth, Jesus’ death and resurrection presents you with a choice.

Let’s begin with what Jesus believed about who he was.

John 10:31-38 (NLT)

31 Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him.

32 Jesus said, "At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?"

33 They replied, "Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God."

34 Jesus replied, "It is written in your own law that God said to certain leaders of the people, `I say, you are gods’!

35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people, who received God’s message, were called `gods,’

36 why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, `I am the Son of God’?

37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.

38 But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father."

In this one passage we can see the following things:

Jesus 1) enjoyed an intimate connection to God the Father (the whole passage)

2) was sent by the Father into this world (v. 36)

3) believed himself to be holy (36)

4) was understood by those around him as believing he was God (v. 33)

5) believed he and the Father were one (v. 38).

Now Jesus didn’t doubt who he was. The religious leaders around him at the time didn’t doubt who he was. Clearly each of us has to decide for ourselves whether Jesus was who he believed himself to be, but it’s clear that this is what he believed and what he claimed. To me it could not be more clear who Jesus believed he was, and this is only from looking at one passage. Remember, I studied 90 New Testament passages preparing for this series and I assure you nothing you read in any of those other passages will indicate in the slightest way that Jesus did not believe himself to be both God and the Son of God.

On to point two, which is that Jesus’ life accomplished what no other life has ever accomplished. Jesus lived a life unlike any ever lived before in history, and unlike any that will ever be lived. Somehow a poor carpenter from Palestine managed to: