INTRO
Do you believe what you believe? I know that sounds like an unusual question, b/c why would you not believe something you claim to believe. The reason I ask this question is b/c I believe there are many people in our world, and even in the church, that do not truly believe what they say they believe. What leads me to this conclusion?
Last year, in a poll of over 2k people conducted by Harris Poll, they found that of U.S. adults:
74% believe in God
68% believe Jesus is God or God’s Son
So according to this poll and many other recent polls, around 70% of Americans believe in God and Jesus as His Son. We can all agree that b/c someone says they believe in Jesus, doesn’t actually mean they believe the right things about Jesus.
KEY QUESTION
That leads us ultimately to this question: Does it even matter if what we believe about Jesus is true?
Though our quick answer is yes, it does matter, the lifestyles of the vast majority of Americans would suggest otherwise – that as long as we believe something about Jesus, we’ll be okay. Sadly, I believe there are many people in the church who either do not truly believe what they say they believe about Jesus or currently believe the wrong things about Jesus. My goal this morning is to help us all determine two things: 1st: Is our current view of Jesus accurate and complete? 2nd: Do we truly believe what we say we believe about Jesus? I hope to accomplish this by asking three straightforward questions.
QUESTION 1: WHAT DO I BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS?
The fact is this – everyone has an opinion about Jesus. Some believe He’s God’s Son, some don’t. Some believe He was just a good man, others believe he’s a myth. We all have our opinions about Jesus, and in order for us to discover what those opinions are, I want you to take some time right now to determine exactly what you believe about Jesus. I’m going to give you about 30 seconds to either write down or run through your mind what you believe about Jesus. Chances are in a room this size we have many different thoughts and ideas about who Jesus is. And though there are many truths about Jesus, not all are correct. So now that we have an idea of what we believe about Jesus, let’s move on to the next question.
QUESTION 2: DOES WHAT I CURRENTLY BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS MATCH WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT JESUS?
Now the reason this question is so important is b/c our very souls hang in the balance.
Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.”
What Jesus was saying is that the only way for us to have a relationship with God, to be saved from our sin, and one day enter into eternal life is through Him. There is no other way. So if what we believe about Jesus is wrong or incomplete, we have no hope of being saved. So over the next few minutes I want us to walk through Colossians 1:15-22, which is possibly one of the greatest passages in the Bible that describe who Jesus is, in order to determine in our hearts whether or not what we read in these verses matches what we claim to believe in our hearts about Jesus. In Colossians 1:15-22 we will focus on 5 important truths about who Jesus is.
TRUTH #1: JESUS IS GOD
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Whereas we, as humans, are created “in” the image of God, meaning, though we created in God’s image, we still have our flaws that prevent us from perfectly reflecting that image. Jesus “is” the image of God, meaning when we look at Jesus, we are seeing a perfect reflection of who God is. The reason that’s so is b/c Jesus is God in flesh.
John 1:18 - No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son, the One who is at the Father’s side, He has revealed Him.
John 14:7-9 - 7 Jesus said, “If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip then said, “Lord, show us the Father.” 9 Jesus replied to Philip, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
What Jesus was saying to his disciples is that when they looked into His eyes, they were looking into the very eyes of God. Jesus’ existence did not begin in a lowly manger, b/c He has always existed.
John 1:1-2, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
For those who ask, where is Jesus here, simply look to v.14.
14 The Word became flesh a took up residence among us.
John uses the term “Word” to describe Jesus.
1 In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. 2 Jesus was with God in the beginning.
Yet there are some groups who claim that the last phrase in verse 15 “firstborn over all creation” says otherwise, that Jesus was created by God, and not actually God Himself. However, this is a flawed view. In Biblical times, the phrase firstborn had different meanings, only one of which meant to literally be the firstborn child to a mother/father. In this passage that’s not the case. The term “firstborn” here can be translated as “heir or owner or supreme one”.
To back this up all we have to do is turn back to Psalm 89:27. Speaking of David God says this: 27 I will also make him My firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth.
If you’re aware of David’s family, you’d know that David was not the oldest among his siblings, but in fact the youngest of 8 brothers. So just as in this passage, when Paul describes Jesus as being the firstborn over all creation, He is saying that Jesus has the highest honor and is the greatest over all creation, which has to be the case if Jesus is in fact God. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is God.
TRUTH #2: JESUS IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS
16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.
There is a tendency for us to disconnect Jesus from the OT. It’s almost as if we think Jesus only comes on the picture in the NT. If you’re not careful you can read right over a very important connection Paul is trying to make by using the phrase “in heaven and on earth”
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Once again, Paul is trying to demonstrate that Jesus was not just an ordinary man. For it was through Jesus that God made everything that exist in the universe.
John 1:3 - All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.
It is Jesus who creates the beautiful sunsets you enjoy, who formed the rugged snow-covered mountain ranges, who set the stars in their place, and it is Jesus who created you. But not only are all things, including you, created “by” Jesus, but all things, including you, are created “for” Jesus. Sometimes we make the mistake of believing God created the world for us to enjoy, or that God created our spouse to complete us. There are even times when we’re tempted to think that Jesus exists for our benefit, when in fact the very opposite is true. The reason the world exists, the reason you and I exist are simply for the pleasure of Jesus. We have been created for Jesus. Your purpose, your worth, your meaning comes from the simple fact that Jesus created you for Himself. Until we find our purpose and meaning in Him we’re wasting our time. The only way we can find fulfillment in this world is if we do what we were created to do and that is to glorify Christ. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is God and the Creator of all things.
TRUTH #3: JESUS IS THE SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS
17 He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.
The term “hold together” literally means to prevent something from falling into complete chaos. So not only is Jesus the Creator of all things, but He is the glue that hold everything together. By Jesus everything came into existence, and only by Jesus does everything continue to exist. It’s a sobering thought to think that the only reason you’re sitting here today is b/c Jesus wants you here. B/c the truth is that Jesus doesn’t need us here. He doesn’t need anything. He is perfectly complete in and of Himself. Yet in His kindness and love, He continues to hold things together so that more people would have the opportunity to come to know Him personally. To believe in Jesus is to believe that He is God, and that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
TRUTH #4: JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH
18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.
Throughout the NT the church is described as the body of Christ and that each member of body has a different role in fulfilling the mission of the church, which is to glorify Christ. If you’re a part of this church, if you belong to Jesus, then you have a role to play in making this church what God designed it to be. But if you don’t do your part, this body called Fort Trial cannot function as God intends. But being the church God intends isn’t just a matter of doing what we think is best. To be the church God wants us to be, we must fully submit to the will of Christ. The word “head” means that Jesus is the sole authority and source of power of the church. The pastor is not the head, the staff is not the head, the deacons are not the head. Christ alone is the Head. Jesus is the only One who determines what we should do and how we should function, b/c we are His church. The day Jesus ceases to be the Head of our church, we will no longer be a church. But in order for us to be His church as a whole, each of us individually must submit ourselves to His will. So if Jesus the Head of your life? He is the One calling the shots? He is the One who determines how you live? To believe in Jesus is to believe that He is God, that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and that He is the Head of the Church.
TRUTH #5: JESUS IS THE RECONCILER OF GOD/MAN
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross—whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. 22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him.
These verses are clear that is Jesus who reconciles us to God. The term reconcile means to: restore a friendship/fellowship after a period of hostility/separation. Though we were all at one time hostile toward God in that we were sinners, through the work of Jesus our hostility with God can come to an end. Apart from Jesus, we are enemies of God, under His wrath/judgment, but in Christ we can become sons/daughters of God. It’s vital that we don’t fall into the trap of believing we’re saved from our sin simply b/c there was a time in our lives when we decided to take action by praying a prayer, by walking down an aisle. No one is saved b/c of something they did. We’re saved solely and simply b/c of what Jesus did for us. To believe in Jesus is to believe that He is God, that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, that He is the Head of the Church, and that He is Reconciler of God/Man. Now that we have determined what we believe about Jesus and have heard what the Bibles says about Jesus, there’s just one more question to answer before we close.
QUESTION 3: HOW HAVE MY BELIEFS ABOUT JESUS ALTERED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE?
The fact is this: If we truly believe what the Bible says about Jesus, how could our lives not be drastically altered? Hopefully you’ve come to the conclusion today that Jesus isn’t just someone to merely be “added” to our life. Following Jesus has nothing to do with adding Him our lives. Instead it involves utter and complete awe and submission to the only One who is worthy of our worship. David Platt “Jesus is not some poor, puny Savior begging for people to accept Him.” Jesus is God, Creator, Sustainer, Head, and Reconciler whether or not we believe that to be true. Who Jesus is does not change, but those who believe the truth about Jesus and devote themselves fully to bring Him honor are radically changed forever. So I’ll ask once again: What do you believe about Jesus? Does what you believe about Jesus match what the Bible says about Jesus? How have your beliefs about Jesus altered the course of your life?
