Intro:
1. There is an old TV show called To Tell the Truth, three mystery guests were presented to a panel who asked questions to find out who among them, was the real person they were all claiming to be. Two of them were obviously imposters. Finally at the very end they would say, “Will the real Mr.____________ place stand up!”
2. We need to present the truth about Jesus Christ, so that the real Jesus Christ can stand up and be revealed.
3. The Real Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 1:1 (NKJV)
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“You can visit Thessalonica today. It is an important industrial and commercial city in modern Greece and is second only to Athens in population. It served as an important Allied base during World War I. In WW II it was captured by the German army, and the Jewish population of about 60,000 persons was deported and exterminated.
It is an ancient city; originally name Therma from the many hot springs adjacent to it. In 315 BC it was renamed Thessalonica after the half sister of Alexander the Great. When Rome conquered Macedonia in 168 BC the city was made capital of that entire province.
In Paul’s day 200,000 people lived there. Paul came to Thessalonica in response to a call from a man in Macedonia (Ac.16:9; 17:1-15)…
He ministered in the synagogue for three Sabbaths in which many believed in Jesus Christ as Savior. However because of opposition from unbelieving Jews, had to leave town after only three weeks…He left Timothy and Silas behind to help the new church. Later Timothy joined Paul at Corinth where Paul wrote I Thessalonians. He after a short time, wrote 2 Thessalonians.” [Wiersbe]
I. First, let’s Discover that He is Deity.
Lord – kurios, depending upon the context can mean “Sir,” “Master,” or as here, a title for deity. The LXX translates Yahweh as kurios.
Christianity came into a world dominated by Caesar worship. You could worship any god you wanted to as long as one also worshipped the Roman Emperor who was acknowledged as Kurios. Christians refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord, that title was reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The real Jesus Christ is God! 1 Cor. 11:4
Years ago there was a big lump of something laying in a brook in North Carolina. Most people just walked past it, judging it to be nothing more then a common stone. One day a man took it home and used it for a door stop.
A visitor one day examined it and found it to be a lump of gold! Many see Jesus as just a lump of good humanity, a lump of a good prophet, a lump of a good teacher – He was all that and more. But until we see the gold, the Deity, we do not have the real Jesus.
II. Next, discover His sinless Humanity.
Jesus – that was a rather common name among the Jews of Paul’s day, it is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua. It means Yahweh saves. Mt. 1:21
The real Jesus is not only God, but God/man.
John Chrysotom, “I do not think of Christ as God alone, but both together. For I know He was hungry, and I know that with five loaves He fed five thousand. I know He was thirty, and I know that He turned the water into wine; I know He was carried in a ship, and I know that He walked on the sea.
I know that He died, and I know that He raised the dead, I know that He w as set before Pilate, and I know that He sits with the Father on His throne. I know that He was worshipped by angels, and I know that He was stoned by the Jews. And truly some of these I ascribe to the human and others to the divine nature. For by reason of this He is said to have been both God and man.”
III. Thirdly, discover the Expectancy.
Christ – Leon Morris, “Christ is from the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Messiah” or “anointed one.” Though it had become something of a proper name it yet retained its Messianic associations. Jesus is the chosen One in whom God is well pleased to fulfill His purposes planned from of old.”
Just as they looked for the Messiah to come in the OT, a hope that found its fulfillment in Christ, so we look for that same Messiah to one day come again, and that hope will not be disappointed either!
Vance Havner, “The early believers were not looking for something to happen, they were looking for Someone to come. Looking for the train to arrive is one thing, but looking for someone we love to come on that train is another matter.” I Thess. 1:10
The world needs to be presented with the real Jesus! They will discover that He is the God/Man who came and is coming again. For us believers we need to discover in a fresh way what we already have – the Lord Jesus Christ!
Steve May tells a true story about a man who bought a painting at a flea market in France after WW II. He stored it in his attic for decades. Finally it was noticed and appraised in 1993. It turned out to be a painting by Vincent Van Gogh worth millions.
All those years just sitting there drawing dust because it had not yet been discovered. Lets not let Jesus draw dust in our lives.
IV. Finally, the spiritual Prosperity.
A. Our Location – we are “in” God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. The Allocation – of grace which is the foundation of real peace.
1. Grace.
God’s riches always transform us. Remember that old TV show The Millionaire? Each week an anonymous millionaire would give one million dollars to someone. The result was that the person who received the gift was transformed.
One noted, “That’s how grace is. You don’t change in order to receive God’s grace; you change as a result of experiencing it. God’s grace is like corrective surgery. We are helpless – but God gives us grace and God’s grace changes what we ourselves cannot change.”
To much focus on a gospel that can be received if we promise to change – I have been fishing many times, I have yet to clean a fish before I caught it!
2. Peace.
Spurgeon, “Do you know what it is, when you are tossed on the waves, to go down into the depth of Godhead, and there rejoice that not a wave of trouble ruffles your spirit, but that you are serenely at home with God, your own Almighty Father?”
What we discover is that our entire well being is dependent upon God.
Calvin Miller in his book, Into the Depth of God shares the testimony from a poor Christian woman who lived in the 18th century:
“I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul than when I have been sitting at work with nothing before me but a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound but the sound of my own breath, with God in my soul and heaven in my eyes. I rejoice in being exactly what I am – a creature capable of rejoicing in being exactly what I am – a creature capable of loving God, and who, as long as God lives must be happy.
I get up and look for a while out of the window and gaze at the moon and stars, the work of an almighty hand. I think of the grandeur of the universe, and then sit down, and think myself one of the happiest being in it.”
Discover the real Jesus and we will discover grace and peace which alone makes life worth living…
Con:
1. Will we let the real Jesus stand up? Our ministry is to keep the real Jesus before this tired old world. Will it do any good? That’s not our job, ours is to tell the truth.
2. Mark McGee a confirmed atheist hosted a radio talk show in central Florida. He spurred out his liberal and atheistic opinions. Then the owner decided to change the format to a gospel music religious program.
Mark hated the change but need the job. He played gospel music and interviewed people who presented the truth about Jesus. After several months of struggling with the truth about Jesus he trusted Christ as his personal savior.
Be encouraged there are a lot of Marks out there who are just waiting for the real Jesus to come along.
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
