We are American Christians who believe in the Holy Bible, and as such, we recognize that the one thing that runs all the way through our Bible, like a ribbon tying it all together, is Jesus Christ.
And "Christ" is not His last name: It is His title. And if we knew everything that title meant, we would drop to our knees and stay there while we humble our hearts to Him and worship Him.
He is the most important person to have ever walked this earth. That is why today, we will talk about Him. Let me begin by simply asking you one question: "Who is Jesus?" We will begin to find the answer to that question in this message.
From our very beginning, mankind has had an instinct written upon our hearts, and that instinct has been to worship. The problem is that we have no always understood what, or whom, we are supposed to worship, and so we find ourselves worshiping everything from trees to animals to other people.
Let me set the record straight. We will not try to argue that the Bible is truth. God says it is, we believe it is, and for us - that settles it. And in His truth, it shows that Jesus, the Christ, is the Creator of all things. Therefore, we are to worship Him above all things. And may I add a period to that statement?
Most people, however, do not know very much about the Bible or about Jesus. For instance, if I were to ask you what part of the Bible is Jesus mentioned in, where would you point me to? Would you be surprised if I said that no matter which book you suggested, you would be right? That is because Jesus is referenced, either in name or in essence, in every single book of the Bible.
In the very first verse of the very first book (GENESIS), Jesus is referenced when it says, "In the beginning, God created the earth."
The word "God" in that verse means "Elohim", which is the masculine plural form. It refers to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In short, it talks about the Trinity.
Let us continue on through the Bible. The first five books of the Bible are called the "Pentateuch", "the Book of Law", and "The Books of Moses".
In GENESIS 3:15, God tells Satan that the Messiah would be born of a woman and He would be the descendant of woman; and it would be He that steps on the head of Satan.
Jesus is therefore, the One who is ruler over all and He is the One that all nations will someday honor and bow down to. This is reaffirmed in:
GENESIS 49:10.
The scepter of power will not leave Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one who will be the ruler of all and whom all nations will honor.
EXODUS 12, refers to Jesus as the "Lamb of God", which is also mentioned in:
JOHN 1:29.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
In EXODUS 33:17, Jesus is mentioned as the "deliverer of the people".
In the book of LEVITICUS, we see Jesus as the "Atoning Sacrifice" who takes away our sin. He is also described as the "Bronze Serpent" who will lift all who have faith in Him.
In the book of DEUTERONOMY, it says we will always have larger and stronger enemies who will come against us, but it also tells us that just as the Israelites had that same situation and God protected them, God will also protect us. Therefore, we can rest assured that we will always have foes, but if we keep Jesus as our number one focus, he will be our deliverer from those foes.
All of this, plus much, much more is what just the first five books of the Bible tell us about Jesus Christ.
The second set of books in the Bible is called the "Historical Books". Let's see how they refer to Jesus.
In JOSHUA, we find that Jesus is our "great captain" in the fight against wrong, while the book of JUDGES who Him to be the King who helps us do what is right in God's eyes.
RUTH teaches us that Jesus is our "Kinsman Redeemer" who takes care of us because He loves us, just as Boaz took care of his kin, Ruth, because He loved her. And please, do not forgot for a moment that we are related to Jesus Christ as sons and daughters of a Most High God, and as joint heirs to the throne along with Jesus Christ.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 reaffirms that by saying,
And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
As God's children, we live in this sinful world for a season, and while we are here we cannot see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we can feel Him in our hearts and hear Him in our mind. And that is why I believe most people reject Him; they need to see, hear or touch so they can have proof before they will believe. This shows with no living faith.
Jesus wants to protect us from the evil of this temporal world. Over and over again, we are told how He is our redeemer, our protector, and the lover of our souls.
When Boaz reached out to Ruth, she submitted her will to his over her because she respected and loved him. She allowed Boaz to be her covering. Likewise, if we want to be kept safe from Satan's snares, we will bow down in humility to Christ and let Him be our Godly covering.
The only thing keeps people from doing this is the pride of self that is held deep within their hearts.
In 1 and 2 SAMUEL, Jesus is shown to be our "anointed King".
In 1 and 2 KINGS, we see Him as the "Son of David" and the "rightful King of Judah".
In 1 and 2 CHRONICLES, we told about the "King of kings", and how the LORD will keep us safe.
EZRA and NEHEMIAH both tell us that He will be the "One who restores" the city of God, which is Jerusalem.
That concludes the second set of books, or the Historical Books. We see were Jesus Christ is seen throughout each of them as the central theme of worship and trust.
Now, let's go through the third set of books, or the Poetic writings.
JOB shows our Savior again to be the "living redeemer" and the One who will rule the earth for eternity.
The collective books of the PSALMS say He is the "sweet singer" of Israel and the Savior who was forsaken by God; the One left on the tree to die for mankind. But the PSALMS also show us that He will be restored by God Almighty to rule over all nations.
PROVERBS claim He is our "wisdom". Now, if He really is our wisdom, does it not make sense for us to subject ourselves to the One who is wiser than we are?
The book of ECCLESIASTES shows us that He is the "giver", the "meaning" and the "purpose" of life, while SIBG OF SOLOMON shows Him to be the "lover of our souls".
Can we now begin to see that Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior is so much more than we had ever thought Him to be? Can we now begin to understand that He is also everything we will ever need in our life on this earth?
Let's look at the next section of the Old Testament; the Major Prophets.
ISAIAH describes Jesus as the "child of a virgin"; and "the One who was given to rule", and "the shoot that emerged from the stump of Jesse". ISAIAH also shows Him to be the "servant who was stricken and afflicted" and the "One whom God has laid all of man's iniquities upon".
JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS say that He is our "comforter" when we are in sorrow, and the "mediator of salvation" who turns weeping into joy.
EZEKIEL attributes Him to be the "One who can breathe life into dry bones" and the "One who can make hearts of stone beat again".
The book of DANIEL reveals that Jesus is the "Son of Man" who comes forth in clouds to render Godly justice upon a rebellious earth.
These are the things that the Major Prophets tell us about Jesus, the Christ, while the Minor Prophets also bear personal witness to Him.
HOSEA prophesied that He would be a "faithful husband to His wayward people", symbolizing the closeness of a personal, intimate, and loving relationship.
We understand the need to have that kind of relationship with our children, spouses, and parents, but we sometimes do not understand our need to have that kind of relationship with Jesus Christ.
In EPHESIANS 1:3, it clearly tells us,
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who has offered us every blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Him through Christ."
Without having that type of closeness in a relationship with Jesus, we will not be able to give Him all of us, nor can we accept all He has to offer us.
JOEL prophesied that before he came to judge the nations, He would "pour out His Spirit" on all men and women. What a wonderful and blessed privilege we have today to live in the generation where God is once again doing just that!
In both AMOS and ABADIAH, it is prophesied that He would "restore God's kingdom here on this earth".
JONAH prophesied that for the sakes of the nations, "He would be raised on the third day", and in the book of MICAH, it is prophesied that Jesus would be "born in Bethlehem."
In the oft-forgotten book of NAHUM, it is prophesied that He would "judge the world".
In the book of HABAKKUK, it says He would "justify all who live by faith."
ZEPHANIAH prophesied that he would "rejoice over His people with singing."
HAGGAI prophesied he would "rebuild God's Temple".
ZECHARIAH says He would "come in royal gentleness, riding a donkey" which was the symbol of a peaceful ruler. And then it says this would result in "God's people being made holy".
MALACHI is the last book of the Old Testament, and it talks about the day Jesus will return. It says He will send Elijah to preach to the people.
In MALACHI 4:6, it tells us,
Elijah's preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.
And so, we can see that all throughout the Old Testament, Jesus is referenced in every book, and in many books, He is referenced many times. These references introduce us to the idea of a coming Redeemer who will be our Savior. But Jesus is not physically introduced to mankind until He is born into lowly surroundings in the New Testament.
The Old Testament tells us how glorious He will be, while the New Testament show us His glory in action.
The word "gospel" means "good news", and it certainly is Good News to hear about our Lord and Savior, isn't it?
The Gospels explain how our eternal salvation is offered only through Jesus Christ.
The book of MATTHEW (chapter 1), tells us about how Mary and Joseph came to be His earthly parents, and in chapter 2, it tells us about Jesus' birth
MARK tells us that Jesus is the "suffering servant of mankind".
LUKE introduces Jesus as the "Savior" of all people and how He is the "descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".
JOHN 1:49 explains who Jesus is by saying…
" … Rabbi, you are the Son of God - the King of Israel!"
Jesus is the "living Son" of the living God of Heaven, and He is the "King in the line of Judah".
JOHN also describes Him as the "incarnate Word of God", the "Light of this world", the "bread of life" and the "only road to salvation".
And all the Gospels end with the same Good News: Jesus died on the cross for us, and was raised again on the third day to give eternal life to all who would believe in Him. Nowhere in the Bible will you find the words or the idea that Jesus "may" save others, or that He "might" save others. It says he "will" save others.
After the Gospels, the New Testament turns its attention towards the church, which is still about Jesus because the church is His body, His bride, and was instituted by Him.
The book of ACTS shows how Jesus uses the Holy Spirit to do His work in the church today. But do today's churches really feel the Holy Spirit deep within their hearts anymore?
The next set of books is the Epistles, or letters written to the churches and to other followers of Christ. They tell about Jesus and explain how to live for Him.
ROMANS tells how Jesus is "God’s righteousness" for the Jews and the Gentiles.
IN 1 AND 2 CORINTHIANS, it shows Him as the "One who unifies the church" and who gives us spiritual gifts for ministry. These two books written by the Apostle Paul also show Jesus to be the "Great Sanctifier" who cleanses our sin.
GALATIANS tells how Jesus "liberates" us from legalism.
EPHESIANS shows He is the "head of the church".
PHILIPPIANS portrays Jesus as "the joy of our salvation".
In COLOSSIANS, He is described as the "firstborn over all of creation".
1 AND 2 THESSALONIANS explains how Jesus is "coming soon" to "deliver us from this evil age".
In 1 AND 2 TIMOTHY, and in TITUS, He is said to be the "shepherd of His people".
In the book of PHILEMON, He reconciles brothers who are "separated by sin".
All of these descriptions are written in the Epistles by the Apostle Paul.
HEBREWS shows Jesus as the "great high priest" who "sympathized with our weaknesses", and who "died for our sins".
JAMES says Jesus helps us prove our faith by doing good works – not because that gets us to Heaven, but because when we have a heart for Christ, we are compelled to do good works for His loving glory.
1 AND 2 PETER, refers to Him as our "example in suffering".
In the letters of JOHN, He is the "Lord of love".
In JUDE, He is our "Master and Teacher".
Last, but not least, comes the wonderful book of REVELATION, where it reveals Jesus to be "the Lamb of God" who was slain for all sinners. He is also described as the "Alpha and Omega"; the "first and the last", and the "beginning and the end".
REVELATION also shows Him to be the "King of kings" and "Lord of lords"; the "great Judge over all the earth", and the "glorious God of heaven".
COLOSSIANS 1:17, tells us that quite literally, "all things are held together" in Jesus Christ.
And just as we find that Jesus holds us together, He also holds the entire Bible together; all the way from the first verse in GENESIS to the closing of REVELATION.
And that is why we are here today; to get to know the Word of God as the truth that it is, so that we can know Christ as the Redeemer He is.
(At this point, we go into an opportunity to receive Jesus as their personal Savior and then we close in song and prayer.)
