Introduction:
A. One Sunday after coming home from worship, a mother asked her young son, “So, who was your Bible class teacher today?”
1. The little boy replied, “I don’t know her name but she must have been Jesus’ grandmother - all she did was talk about Jesus.”
2. I love that – don’t you? And isn’t that the way all of us should be?
3. Shouldn’t we be so dedicated to Jesus that we talk about Him all the time, like grandmothers do their grandchildren?
B. If our working definition of a disciple is a person who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and committed to the mission of Jesus, then don’t you think it is important for us to know Jesus, and believe in Jesus, and want to tell everyone about Jesus?
1. If Jesus is not who He says He is, then there is no reason for any of us to be devoted to Him.
2. But if Jesus is who He says He is (and I believe He is who He says He is), then He is the greatest person in the universe and the only one worthy of our total devotion.
3. Back in the 1920s, a preacher named James Allan Francis, wrote these well-known words: “He was born in an obscure village. The child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where he worked in a carpenter shop, until he was thirty.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things usually associated with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty three when His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that have ever marched. All the navies that have ever sailed. All the parliaments that have ever sat. All the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of mankind on earth as powerfully as that one solitary life.”
4. The late Wilbur Smith, a respected Bible scholar wrote: “The latest edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica gives twenty thousand words to this person, Jesus, and does not even hint that He did not exist – more words, by the way, than are given to Aristotle, Alexander, Cicero, Julius Caesar, or Napoleon Bonaparte.”
5. Even Napoleon admitted: “I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ was no mere man: Between Him, and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison.”
C. If we want to be true disciples of Jesus and want to make disciples who make disciples, then there are few things more important that our faith in Jesus and what we teach about Jesus.
1. The apostle John made that clear in his first letter when he wrote: 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well (1 John 2:22-23).
2. In chapter 5 of that same letter, John concludes: 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:10-13).
3. From those verses, we see just how important it is for us to understand who Jesus is and to put our faith in Jesus – eternal life is in the Son and whoever has the Son has life.
D. Unfortunately, over the past 2000 years many people have propagated misunderstandings about Jesus and have not allowed Jesus to be who He is, but have made Him who they want Him to be.
1. Popular Christian writer Kevin DeYoung wrote a widely read blog post where he listed 15 different ways that Jesus is presented today that are false views of Jesus.
2. I won’t share all 15, but here are a few of the false ones, and the real one. DeYoung wrote:
a. There’s Therapist Jesus who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves.
b. There’s Starbucks Jesus who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid and goes to film festivals.
c. There’s Open-minded Jesus who loves everyone all the time no matter what, except for people who are not as open-minded as you.
d. There’s Touchdown Jesus who helps athletes run faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls.
e. There’s Gentle Jesus who was meek and mild, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, and walks around barefoot, wearing a sash and looks German.
f. There’s Guru Jesus, a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center.
g. And then there’s Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet. Not just another Rabbi. Not just another wonder-worker. He was the one they had been waiting for: the Son of David and Abraham’s chosen seed, the one to deliver us from captivity, the goal of the Mosaic law, Yahweh in the flesh, the one to establish God’s reign and rule, the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners and proclaim good news to the poor, the lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world.
3. From that list, we see how easy it is to remake Jesus in a way that serves us, rather than understanding who He really is and follow after Him as He really is as the Lord and Savior.
4. And if we want to help people to trust and follow Jesus, then we need to be sure we are pointing them to the true Jesus.
5. We don’t have time in a single sermon to communicate everything the Bible says about Jesus, but I want to share some of the foundational basics that disciples must cling to and communicate.
I. First of all, the Real Jesus is both Fully Human and Fully God.
A. Jesus is somehow 100 percent human and 100 percent divine – this is a profound mystery.
B. The eternal Son of God became a human being named Jesus and was born to a young Jewish woman and was raised in a small town in Israel.
C. The Bible indicates that Jesus was self-limited in several ways during His time on earth and allowed Himself to experience the weaknesses that all humans experience – fear and loneliness, frustration and fatigue, and temptation and physical pain.
D. But the Bible also makes it clear that despite some self-imposed limitations, Jesus was both fully human and fully God – as God, He could know people’s thoughts, display great power over the physical world and the spiritual world, and He could forgive sins.
E. When John wrote His Gospel, he began by telling us about the identity and origin of Jesus because John wanted us to understand that Jesus is divine; that He is God.
1. John tells us that Jesus was the Word and that the Word was God.
2. 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. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it (Jn. 1:1-5).
3. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).
4. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him (Jn. 1:18).
5. From these verses, we learn that Jesus was the “enfleshment” or “incarnation” of God, that He is the creator of heaven and earth, and that He is the light and life of humans who reveals the Father to us.
F. The writer of Hebrews wants to make it clear that Jesus is God, and that He was also fully human.
1. Hebrews 1 begins: 1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:1-3).
2. But then in chapter 2, we read: 14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. 17 Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:14-18).
3. In these two passages the Hebrew writer tells us of Jesus’ divine characteristics and position, but then explains why the Son of God had to take on flesh.
G. Why does all of this matter for discipleship?
1. As God, Jesus is worthy of our worship and qualifies to be the perfect Lamb of God.
2. As a human, Jesus is able to identify with us and minister to us.
3. Since He was both fully human and fully divine, we can confidently imitate Him and form our lives around His teachings and example.
H. Sometimes we fail to keep Jesus’ identity as a human and as divine in balance, and if we over-emphasize one or the other, we fail to understand, follow and proclaim Jesus accurately.
I. The dual nature of Jesus is a paradox and a mystery, but that shouldn’t trouble us.
J. Daniel Webster was once asked by an unbelieving friend: “Mr. Webster, can you comprehend how Jesus Christ can be both God and man?”
1. Webster replied, “No sir, I cannot understand it. And I would be ashamed to acknowledge Christ as my Savior if I could comprehend it. He could be no greater than myself, and such is my conviction of accountability to God, my sense of sinfulness before Him, and my knowledge of my own incapability to recover myself, that I feel I need a superhuman savior.”
II. Second, the Real Jesus is the Messiah.
A. Many of us, when we speak about Jesus, we identify Him as Jesus Christ, but we must understand that “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name.
1. In the first century, a person was often identified by where they were from or who was their father.
2. So, Jesus is often called “Jesus from Nazareth” or “Jesus, son of Joseph” (earthly father).
3. Another way people were identified was by their profession or title.
4. This is where the word “Christ” comes in; it is a title or position.
5. The words “Christ” and “Messiah” are synonymous and can be used interchangeably.
6. And so, we should understand that Jesus is the Christ, or Jesus is the Messiah, and as a title we could call Jesus: “Jesus the Christ” or “Jesus the Messiah.”
7. As John brought his Gospel to a conclusion, he declared: But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).
8. When the angel appeared to Joseph, the man who would be Jesus’ earthly father, he told him, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21-22).
B. We don’t have time to trace out the whole story of the Bible that reveals our need for a Christ.
1. But you know the story: The Creation, The Fall, The Promise and Covenant of Abraham, The Nation of Israel, the arrival of Jesus, and the beginning of His Kingdom, the church.
2. The key to understanding Jesus as Messiah is seeing how God’s relationship with humanity is traced out in both the Old and New Testaments.
3. Every book in the Bible points to Jesus the Messiah who is our Savior, the Christ.
C. As disciples of Jesus and as disciple makers, we need to understand and embrace God’s grand story because it answers all of the important questions of life, like:
1. Did God make the world this way? If not, what went wrong?
2. Why is the Old Testament important?
3. Why did Jesus have to come and die?
4. What is God’s Kingdom and where is life going?
5. Why do we need a Savior?
D. Being able to answer these questions requires that we draw upon the full story of the Bible.
1. The Messiah’s identity and mission is old, deep, and wonderfully complex and is grounded in the Old Testament and made clear and complete in the New Testament.
2. How wonderful and powerful that Jesus is our Messiah, the Savior that all of us need!
III. Third. the Real Jesus is the Lord.
A. When Peter preached the first Gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he concluded: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36).
1. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he explained to them this important point about Jesus: For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him (1 Cor. 8:5-6).
B. Jesus is the Messiah (Savior) and the Lord, and for us there must be just one Lord – Jesus Christ.
1. As I have often said, many people like the idea of Jesus as Savior, but aren’t interested in Him as Lord.
2. They want the benefits of a Savior, but don’t want the restrictions of a Lord.
3. But what many don’t realize is that you can’t have Jesus as Savior without also having Him as Lord.
4. This isn’t a multiple choice situation (like the multiple choices tests) where the choices are:
a. You can have Jesus as Lord and Savior.
b. Or, You can have Jesus just as Lord.
c. Or, You can have Jesus just as Savior.
d. Or none of the above.
5. Actually, there are only 2 choices: (1) You can have Jesus as Lord and Savior, or (2) no Jesus.
C. Those of us who know Jesus as Savior and Lord, know that the lordship of Jesus in our lives is not a burden, but is a blessing.
1. Obeying the commands of Jesus as Lord leads us to abundant life and keeps us from disaster and destruction.
2. I love Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30).
3. The apostle John explained it this way: This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden (1 John 5:2-3).
D. Jesus is our Lord and this is a blessing to us because His yoke is easy and His burden is light – His commands are not a burden, but are a blessing to obey.
IV. A final thing we must understand about the Real Jesus is that His Gospel is our message and hope.
A. The word “gospel” is an important word for us to know as we embark on our discipleship lifestyle and mission.
1. The word “gospel” literally means “good news.”
2. The gospel is the good news of the big picture and story line of the Bible that we just covered as we talked about Jesus being the Messiah (Christ, our Savior).
B. The good news of Jesus is that Jesus has overcome the curse and consequences of sin through His life, death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and enthronement at the right hand of the Father.
1. What Jesus has accomplished in His life is the sole basis by which our sins can now be forgiven and we can be made right with God.
2. Jesus’ promised gift of the Holy Spirit marks our adoption into God’s family and empowers us for discipleship and ministry.
C. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he emphasized that we are saved by the Gospel.
1. 1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time (one whose birth was unusual), he also appeared to me (1 Cor. 15:1-8).
2. Paul’s language is clear – believing the Gospel, receiving the Gospel, and standing in the Gospel of Jesus that has been preached to us is what saves us.
3. Jesus and His work on the cross are the basis of our right standing with God and there is nothing more important than that.
4. The gospel focuses on Jesus the Messiah’s death for our sins, but the full gospel is not just His death, but is also His burial, His resurrection, and His appearances to His followers.
D. Through the Gospel, we are saved by grace through faith, and it is God’s gift to us.
1. Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Ephesians: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! … 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do (Eph. 2:4-5, 8-10).
2. Notice how clearly Paul emphasizes God’s part in our salvation: It is God who is rich in mercy and has great love for us, it is God who displays the immeasurable riches of His grace in Christ, it is God who gives us His grace as a gift not as a reward for our works.
3. God’s part is grace, our part is faith in that grace.
E. The Bible teaches that we can only get right with God because of Jesus and the good news of what He has accomplished.
1. By grace, we are free to receive God’s offer of forgiveness and place our faith in Jesus.
2. God does not accept us because we are good people or because we do the right righteous things.
3. Rather, God offers us forgiveness and we receive it as we place our lives, our future, and all our hopes in His Son.
F. In many respects, discipleship is all about learning how to live a life grounded in Jesus’ grace.
1. Disciples understand that Jesus’ righteousness and death on the cross are the basis of our forgiveness - our faith is not in ourselves but is in Jesus.
2. Disciples learn to receive grace every day as we fellowship with God and depend on the Holy Spirit – we need the grace of His cleansing and power.
3. Disciples learn how to share God’s grace with others as we tell people about the Gospel.
Conclusion:
A. Let’s bring this sermon to a close by focusing on the main point of today’s lesson – disciples of Jesus are devoted to Jesus.
1. Jesus indeed is our everything and our lives must be all about Jesus – He is God in the flesh, Our Messiah (our Savior), our Lord, and His Gospel is our message and hope.
2. We must let Jesus be who He is and not try to make Him what we want Him to be.
3. And as disciples, our sole purpose is to proclaim Jesus, follow Jesus, and draw people to Jesus.
B. When Lloyd C. Douglas, author of The Robe and other novels, was a university student, he lived in a boarding house.
1. Downstairs from him was an elderly, retired music teacher who was homebound.
2. Douglas says that every morning he and the retired music teacher had a ritual that they would go through together.
3. Douglas would come downstairs, open the man’s door, and ask, “Well, what’s the good news?”
4. The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his wheelchair and say, “That’s middle C! It was middle C yesterday; it will be middle C tomorrow; it will be middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat, the piano across the hall is out of tune, but, my friend, that is middle C!”
5. The old man had discovered one thing upon which he could depend, one constant reality in his life, one “still point in a turning world” – middle C was always middle C.
C. For disciples of Jesus the one “still point in a turning world,” the one absolute of which there is not shadow of turning, is Jesus the Christ – Jesus is our “middle C” – Christ!
1. The Hebrew writer had it right when he declared: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
2. As disciples of Jesus, He is our everything and our faith is in Him and Him alone.
3. We know that our faith in Christ is well placed because He is the one true God who made us and died for us, rose again, and is coming again.
4. Our faith isn’t just a mental exercise, it is everything about the way we live our lives.
5. As we follow Jesus every day, we intend to be changed and shaped by Jesus, and we intend to carry out the mission of Jesus to make disciples who make disciples.
D. Let me end with two questions:
1. If you are already of disciple of Jesus, how faithfully are you carrying out your devotion to Jesus and to the mission of Jesus?
2. If you aren’t yet a disciple of Jesus, are you ready to put your faith in Jesus and through grace to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit?
E. When people on the day of Pentecost asked Peter what they must do to be saved, Peter didn’t tell them to say the sinners prayer, he told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). Come see me if you are ready to put your faith in Christ and be baptized.
