26. Who Is Jesus Christ Series

[IN GOD’S IMAGE 26 – WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?]

This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli

I Want to start today with a little exercise. Let’s make a list of all the titles the Bible uses to describe Jesus Christ. For example, the most obvious one is “Savior.” What are some others?

• God, Son, Mighty King, Redeemer, Good Shepherd, Way, Truth, Life, Light of the World, Mediator, Atonement, High Priest, Prophet, Word, Healer, Revelator, Judge, Reconciler, Justifier, Counsellor, Creator.

• Most of us have a title that goes along with our job description, but usually it’s only one title. Yet when we look at the list of titles used to describe Jesus Christ, that’s quite a list.

• And behind each one of those titles comes a responsibility.

Over the last couple of sermons we focused on how committed God is to his children. Despite our resistance to his overtures of love, in an incredible act of self-humiliation, God willingly joins us in our humanity.

• The reason why He willingly joins us in our humanity, has a lot to do with these titles we just looked at.

• Because these titles describe the mission the Father set the Son to achieve during his sojourn on earth.

• And I think it’s interesting that as I looked at the list of titles, one thing about those titles really struck me.

• How many of these titles carry a negative connotation? The only one I can identify is “Judge,” all the others carry a positive connotation.

• That reveals a lot about God’s attitude towards us yet it also reveals what a distorted view humanity usually has of God.

Last time we saw the arrival of Jesus on this earth not as a conquering king, but rather as a helpless babe.

• Now we need to look a little more closely at this person, Jesus Christ and ask the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?

• Jesus Himself asked this question of His disciples in Mark 8:27, “Who do men say that I am?”

• We will start with the apostle John’s introduction of the “Word”, a title of Jesus Christ.

• John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word,

• From our time in the Old Testament, we learned the “Word,” or “Spokesperson” or “Logos” was the title given to Moses and the prophets of God to bring God’s personal word to the people.

• But here John introduces the One whom these prophets represented and now this Word in human form is speaking for Himself.

• We begin to understand why God gets angry with Aaron the high priest and Miriam when they try to assume this role for themselves.

• V.1 …and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

• This raises a difficult question as “How can you be with someone and be Him at the same time”?

• This is the ongoing dilemma we humans face in trying to understand the Trinity.

• V2. He was with God in the beginning.

• If we are going to understand who Jesus Christ is you have to associate Him with God and not with humanity.

• The definition of who Jesus is does not come from below, that is from creation or human identity.

• Rather the definition of who Jesus is comes from above, comes from God the Father.

• Jesus before His human birth had pre-existed with God from the very beginning.

• V.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made

• Not only has He always existed, but he also bears the title of “Creator.”

• And just as the Old Testament begins with a Creator moving to create man, now we see the Creator moving to create a new beginning for mankind.

• Interestingly, this word, “Word” used in verse one is the English translation for the Greek word “logos.”