“I AM: The Jesus We Think We Know”
Part 6 – Creed
NewSong Church – 08/26/07
To watch/listen to this message online go to www.newsongs.org or contact info@newsongs.org.
**NOTE: THIS IS A CONCEPT OUTLINE FOR THIS MESSAGE, NOT THE FULL MANUSCRIPT. GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THIS SERIES.
Video Clip - “Names of Jesus”
Recap
This morning we conclude our series, “I AM: The Jesus We Think We Know.” Over the past few weeks, we have looked at the claims that Jesus made of himself and considered what they mean for us today.
I began this series by pointing out the roles that impression and preconception play in our decision making, and the incredible amount of influence that each holds. Over the past few weeks, we have looked at various impressions that people have about Jesus, and then compared those impressions to His own teachings and claims about himself.
John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Claims
Jesus stands out because of his claims.
• He claimed to be the Light of the World.
• He claimed to be the Good Shepherd of all people.
• He claimed to be the Bread of Life.
• He said that He had been sent by God the Father
• That the words He spoke were the words of God
• He said, I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life.”
• He called himself the Resurrection and the Life; he claimed that if any believed in him, eternal life would be theirs.
• Jesus claimed to offer salvation for all of humanity.
• He claimed to be able to make all of creation right with God, and bring us into a relationship with God.
• Jesus claimed royalty as a returning King.
• He claimed divinity as God on earth.
He sought needy hearts and open minds. He spent his days with the destitute and downtrodden as well as the rich and powerful. He was a healer, a worker of miracles, a hope in troubled times, a friend to the lonely. He was and still is the greatest person the world has ever known.
The person Jesus Christ is the most significant figure in all of history. Who he claimed to be is unparalleled by any other religious figure. I remind you of a quote from David DeWitt:
“So let me ask you the question: what happens to our beliefs if Jesus is removed?
• Without Jesus there is no more purpose for the Bible
• Without Jesus there is no more forgiveness
• Without Jesus there is no more hope of salvation
• Without Jesus there is no restoration of our relationship with God
• Without Jesus there can be no heaven, which means Hell is our destiny
• Without Jesus we no longer have a genuine faith
Dare I say it without Jesus we have nothing? All of this begs a question that we desperately need to answer in light of all these attempts to steal the identity of Jesus: who is Jesus?”
In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."
The Great Question
Jesus and his disciples were talking one day. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracle – while teaching a crowd of thousands, he had taken a small amount of bread and had multiplied it to feed each person there.
• The crowds who had followed him
• The religious leaders who were watching him
• Even his disciples who believed in him were astonished and amazed.
And a little later, Jesus sits with his disciples and asks a question: “So tell me, who do they say I am? What do they call me? How do they see, and know, and understand me?”
His disciples considered all the things they had seen and heard
• How so many people hung on Jesus’ words and teachings
• They remembered the great wonders and miracles that Jesus had performed.
• They had watched him debate with the religious leaders and amaze people with his teachings and words of wisdom.
• Some called him an inspired prophet or a great teacher.
• Some called him a philosopher or a holy man.
• Others called him a revolutionary or a rebel.
• Some considered him crazy, others were ready to make him their king.
• Many people had tried to label him, to categorize him, to understand him.
And so the disciples told Jesus, “Some say that you are John the Baptist, or Elijah, or another of the great teachers and prophets.” They were very pleased to be telling Jesus this – it was a great honor to be associated with such a great man, to be one of the close followers of this teacher. Jesus was considered an extraordinary person – and they were his personal followers.
But Jesus follows his question up with another.
• One more personal
• One that would require more than just observations of other people’s opinion
• A question of revelation, of acceptance and commitment
Jesus looks at his disciples and asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
Consider the weight of that question, the significance of what Jesus is asking his disciples.
• Am I just another religious figure to you?
• Do I just symbolize a set of rules?
• Or do my teachings permeate your soul, transform your life?
• Do you see me as greater than the prophets?
• Do you understand that I am God?
The disciples had left everything they had to follow Jesus. They had chosen to live their lives with and for Jesus and his teachings. But they didn’t do it for the chance to hang out with a prophet or to associate with an important religious or political figure.
They answer, “You are the Christ, the Living God.”
This is a critical moment for the disciples because it signifies a transition from just following Jesus to truly living their lives for him. It is an important reminder for us as well, because there are plenty of people who claim to know about Jesus – but they live their lives like the crowds; they are amazed a his teachings, they eagerly look for his work in their lives, but they aren’t willing to leave anything for him, they aren’t able to commit to him.
Romans 10:8-11 "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Creed
If we believe Jesus is who he says he is, then we must be prepared to accept what he says and apply it to our lives – it is God speaking to us, teaching us how to live and inviting us to experience a new kind of life. Knowing about Jesus is one thing. Acknowledging who he is and basing your life on those attributes is something completely different.
When we see Jesus in this way, we are required to change our thinking, our lifestyle. It requires us, at times, to change the way we approach and practice our faith. Christianity is not just a philosophy for life. It’s not just a system to guide values, morals, or to provide a standard of ethics. It’s more than just obedience to religion and ritual. Christianity is based on a vital, personal relationship with a risen, living Savior and Lord – it comes from knowing Jesus Christ and believing who he says he is.
Like Peter and the disciples, our relationship with Jesus Christ goes to a new level with our answer to this question – “Who do you say I am?”
• And our answer to that question marks our journey of faith.
• We will experience moments of decision, to state again what we believe.
• We will have opportunities to stand firm in our faith, and to choose to continue our journey of knowing Jesus Christ.
• John 20:31 - But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Imago Dei
Next week we begin a new series called “Disciple.” We are going to look at where we go next from this moment – the place where we have a revelation of who Jesus is and through our confession and faith choose to commit our lives to him and his ways. We are going to look at what it means to be a disciple instead of just a follower of Jesus Christ. It will look extensively at how our faith shapes our everyday life as we continue to know and experience Jesus Christ. I invite you to join us for this upcoming series and let God do something special in your relationship with him.
