Who Is Jesus To You?
Some Say He Was A Prophet, A Priest Others Call Him A Wise Teacher. Others See Jesus As A Rabbi. Some Say He Was One Of The Great Minds That Has Walked This Earth. Still Others Think He Was A Miracle Worker, Some Say He Was A Healer,
But The Bible Gives Us A Clear, Undeniable Truth: Jesus Is God.
This Question Is Not Academic — It Is Critically Important To Our Eternal Destination.
If Jesus Is Only A Man, Then He Cannot Save Us.
So This Morning, I Want Us To Dive Deep Into The Deity Of Jesus As We Look At Three Aspects Of This Truth:
• Jesus Is The Eternal Word — God From The Beginning.
• Jesus Makes The Divine Claim — He Is The Great I Am, The Fullness Of God.
• Thomas Gives The Personal Confession — “My Lord And My God.”
Point 1: Eternal Word
And We Are To Look At Two Of The Most Powerful Beginnings In Scripture:
Genesis 1:1 And John 1:1.
Genesis 1:1 Begins: “In The Beginning God Created The Heavens And The Earth.”
John 1:1 Begins: “In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was With God, And The Word Was God.”
John Deliberately Echoes Genesis To Show Us Something Profound: The Same God Who Spoke Creation Into Existence Is Revealed In Jesus Christ, The Eternal Word.
Genesis 1:3 Says: “Let There Be Light.” Light Breaks Into Darkness.
John 1:4–5 Says: “In Him Was Life, And That Life Was The Light Of All Mankind. The Light Shines In The Darkness, And The Darkness Has Not Overcome It.”
Physical Light In Genesis Points Us To The Greater Light—Jesus Christ.
He Is The Light Of The World.
He Is The Source Of Life Itself.
Without Him, Humanity Remains In Darkness. With Him, We Walk In Truth, In Faith, And In Grace.
Revelation 22:13
I Am The Alpha And The Omega, The First And The Last, The Beginning And The End.
• Jesus Is Alpha And Omega—The Beginning And The End.
Point 2: Divine Claim
John 8:58 — “Very Truly I Tell You,” Jesus Answered, “Before Abraham Was Born, I Am!”
Here Jesus Takes Upon Himself The Divine Name Revealed To Moses In Exodus 3:14 (“I Am Who I Am”).
The Jews Understood This As Blasphemy And Tried To Stone Him.
Colossians 2:9 — “For In Christ All The Fullness Of The Deity Lives In Bodily Form.”
Paul Makes It Clear: Jesus Is Not Partly Divine.
He Is The Fullness Of God In Human Flesh.
Hebrews 1:8 — “But About The Son He Says, ‘your Throne, O God, Will Last For Ever And Ever; A Scepter Of Justice Will Be The Scepter Of Your Kingdom.’”
Even God The Father Himself Addresses His Son As God. God Testifies To The Eternal Reign Of Christ.
Philippians 2:6 — “Who, Being In Very Nature God, Did Not Consider Equality With God Something To Be Used To His Own Advantage.”
Jesus, Though Fully God, Humbled Himself To Serve And Save.
Think Of A King Who Leaves His Throne To Walk Among His People.
He Doesn’t Stop Being King — He Simply Chooses Humility To Connect With Them.
That’s What Jesus Did.
He Was Fully God, Yet He Humbled Himself To Wash Feet, Heal The Sick, And Die For Sinners.
Jesus Does Not Merely Point Us To God — He Reveals Himself As God.
And All Of This Builds To The Moment When One Man, Once Filled With Doubt, Finally Sees The Risen Christ And Makes The Greatest Confession In The Gospels.
Point 3: Personal Confession (John 20:28)
John 20:28 — “Thomas Said To Him, ‘my Lord And My God!’”
Thomas, The Doubter, Encounters The Risen Jesus.
He Touches His Wounds, Sees His Glory, And Cries Out: “My Lord And My God!”
This Is The Climax. Not Just “Lord,” Not Just “Teacher,” But God Himself.
And Jesus — He Does Not Correct Thomas, Because He Truly Is Lord And God.
He Replies To Thomas In Verse 29
John 20:29
Then Jesus Told Him, “Because You Have Seen Me, You Have Believed; Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen And Yet Have Believed.”
And We Find Ourselves, Dear Friends, At This Proclamation Of Jesus.
Blessed Are We Who Have Not Seen Jesus But Yet Believe - That He Is God!
And As His Children He Invites Us To Tell The World Of His Love, Of His Deity - Which Is Part Of His Greatest Mandate - To Make Disciples Of All Nations Baptising Them In The Name Of The Father, Son And Holy Spirit And Jesus Does Not Keep Us Wandering.
He Teaches Us In John Chapter 21 How It Is Done:
So Lets Take It From There, This Is Right After Thomas’ Confession.
John 21:1-6
Afterward Jesus Appeared Again To His Disciples, By The Sea Of Galilee. It Happened This Way: Simon Peter, Thomas (Also Known As Didymus), Nathanael From Cana In Galilee, The Sons Of Zebedee, And Two Other Disciples Were Together.
“I’m Going Out To Fish,” Simon Peter Told Them, And They Said, “We’ll Go With You.” So They Went Out And Got Into The Boat, But That Night They Caught Nothing.
Early In The Morning, Jesus Stood On The Shore, But The Disciples Did Not Realize That It Was Jesus.
He Called Out To Them, “Friends, Haven’t You Any Fish?”
“No,” They Answered.
He Said, “Throw Your Net On The Right Side Of The Boat And You Will Find Some.” When They Did, They Were Unable To Haul The Net In Because Of The Large Number Of Fish.
Now This Is After His Resurrection, Jesus Appears To His Disciples By The Sea Of Galilee.
The Disciples Return To What They Know—Fishing.
They Had Gone Fishing But Caught Nothing All Night.
At Dawn, Jesus Stands On The Shore, Though They Don’t Recognize Him At First. Just His Voice: He Calls Out: “Friends, Haven’t You Any Fish?” Then He Instructs Them: “Throw Your Net On The Right Side Of The Boat And You Will Find Some.”
They Obey—And The Net Fills With Fish.
You See, Without Jesus’ Guidance, Even Our Best Skills And Hard Work Can Come Up Short. Human Effort Apart From Christ Leads To Emptiness. It Seems Simple, Even Ordinary—But Obedience Makes The Difference. When They Follow His Word, Abundance Comes.
And That’s The Truth The Lord Wants Us To Learn Here:
Obedience Unlocks Fruitfulness.
Many Today Struggle With “Empty Nets”—Efforts That Yield Little.
The Answer Is Not More Striving, Not More Hard Work.
But Make More Effort In Seeking The Lord And Listening To Jesus’ Voice Intentionally.
You See Church He Speaks To Us On A Daily Basis,
But Are We Really Listening And Obeying ?
Jesus Is Our Guide. His Sheep Recognize His Voice, And Obedience To His Word Brings Fruitfulness—Even When He Is Unseen.
Obedience Unlocks Fruitfulness.
He Said: “Throw Your Net On The Right Side Of The Boat And You Will Find Some.”
Did You Catch That, What Is Only Some For Jesus Is Abundance For Many.
Verse 8 Says: The Other Disciples Followed In The Boat, Towing The Net Full Of Fish, For They Were Not Far From Shore, About A Hundred Yards.
God Wants To Give Abundantly When Our Minds Are Tuned To His Voice And Our Heart Is Willing To Obey.
Lets Move On And See What Lord Jesus Is Teaching Us Next:
John 21:9
"When They Landed, They Saw A Fire Of Burning Coals There With Fish On It, And Some Bread.
We See Here That When The Disciples Come Ashore, Jesus Has Already Prepared A Fire, Fish, And Bread. These 3 - Fire, Fish And Bread Is Very Profound I Tell You.
Fire: You See, Fire In Scripture Often Symbolizes Purification, Fellowship, And Warmth.
Here, It Represents Jesus’ Readiness To Welcome His Disciples Into Restored Fellowship.
Jesus Prepares The Environment For Our Restoration. Just As He Prepared A Fire For Peter Who Had Denied Him By Another Fire Of Coals In John 18:18, He Prepares A Place Of Grace For Us.
Fish: Even Before The Disciples Brought Their Catch, Jesus Already Had Fish Cooking. This Shows His Sufficiency—He Provides What Is Needed.
We Often Forget That Jesus Anticipates Our Needs.
He Is The One Who Sets The Table, Who Prepares Sustenance, Who Ensures His Children Are Cared For.
I Have A Feeling That Some Of You Are Worried About This Christmas.
People Often Strive And Worry About Provision, But Jesus Reminds Us Here That He Is The One Who Provides Daily Bread, Which Brings Us To
Bread: Bread Recalls Jesus’ Earlier Miracles (Feeding The 5,000, John 6) And His Declaration: “I Am The Bread Of Life.”
You See - Jesus As God - Is Himself Our Sustenance. He Not Only Provides Physical Food But Spiritual Nourishment.
Lets Continue, Moving On The Verse 10:
John 21:10-11
Jesus Said To Them, “Bring Some Of The Fish You Have Just Caught.” So Simon Peter Climbed Back Into The Boat And Dragged The Net Ashore. It Was Full Of Large Fish, 153, But Even With So Many The Net Was Not Torn.
Jesus Already Had Fish And Bread Prepared (V. 9), Yet He Asks The Disciples To Bring Their Catch.
This Is Stewardship. The Disciples’ Catch Was Not Purely By Their Skill—It Was Given By Christ’s Instruction.
And So Jesus Now Calls Them To Return A Portion Of What He Enabled.
Remember Church - Everything We Have—Resources, Talents, Income—Is First Given By God.
Stewardship Means Recognizing His Ownership And Offering Back What He Has Entrusted To Us.
When We Tithe Or Give Offerings, We Are Not Giving God “Our” Money—We Are Returning What He Already Provided.
Stewardship Begins With Recognizing That All Provision Originates From Christ.
Peter Personally Drags The Net Ashore, Eager To Respond To Jesus’ Request.
This Reflects The Heart Of Offering—Bringing What We Have To Jesus Willingly And Wholeheartedly.
True Offering Is Not Reluctant Or Forced; It Flows From Gratitude.
Now Did You Notice The Abundant Catch Of 153 Large Fish
The Catch Was Abundant, Precise, And Miraculous.
Yet The Net Was Not Torn.
This Abundance Symbolizes God’s Blessing When We Obey His Word.
The Unbroken Net Shows His Provision Is Secure And Sufficient.
Tithing Acknowledges That Our Yield—Our Income, Our Increase—Comes From Him. When We Honor Him With The First Portion, He Ensures The Rest Is Sustained.
The Tithe Is Not About Loss But About Trust. Just As The Net Held Firm,
God Shows Us Here That When We Honor Him, He Will Preserve And Multiply What Remains
Verse 12
Jesus Said To Them, “Come And Have Breakfast.” None Of The Disciples Dared Ask Him, “Who Are You?” They Knew It Was The Lord.
I Don’t Know About You But I’m In Awe At The Wondrous Mercy, Compassion And Love Of Jesus Here!
I Mean These Men Have Failed Jesus Countless Times.
They Left Him As He Was Arrested, They Didn’t Share A Testimony As He Was Being Tried,
None Of Them Stepped In As He Was Being Tortured
Not One Of Them Offered To Carry The Cross As They Saw Him Struggle On His Way To Calvary.
None Of Them Showed Up As His Hands Were Nailed To The Cross And Hoisted Up Into The Air.
They All Failed Him And Yet Jesus With Arms Wide Open Says In Verse 12 –
“Come And Have Breakfast.”
Wow! Because Of Their Sin, A Part Of Them Might Have Felt, "I Left My Lord To Die.
Maybe He Will No Longer Be With Me Like He Used To Be."
And Jesus Is Telling Them, "I Have Died For Even The Worst Sin You Have Ever Done In Your Life.
My Death Is The Bridge By Which You And I Are Now In Constant Fellowship.
When You Go Through Trials And Suffering,
I Am There With You.
When You Go Through Doubts And When Your Faith Falters And In Times Of Grief, I Am Still There.
Nothing Can Separate Me From You.
This Is The Heart Of Jesus – To Restore A Severed Relationship. To Reconcile People With God.
And Once That Relationship Is Restored, He Doesn’t Leave Us On Our Own.
He Guides Us By Telling Us Where To Cast Our Nets And Even When We Fail Him, And We Do Fail Him Many Times, Over And Over Again – He Calls Us By Name, He Seeks Us Out, And Waits For Us To Turn Our Gaze To Him And When We Do – He Invites Us To Fellowship With Him – He Says
“Come And Have Breakfast With Me.”
Verse 15
“When They Had Finished Eating, Jesus Said To Simon Peter, “Simon Son Of John, Do You Love Me More Than These?”
So Jesus Questioned Peter In Front Of The Others To Give Him A Chance To Confess Christ Boldly Three Times Because Peter Had Denied Jesus Before Others Three Times.
For Peter To Be Fully Restored To His Role As A Leader Of The Disciples, He Needed To Be Restored Publicly.
“Yes, Lord,” He Said, “You Know That I Love You.”
Jesus Said, “Feed My Lambs.” - To “Feed Lambs” Means To Give People Jesus’ Words And Life – To Spread The Good News Of Christ.
Now Jesus Asked Again, “Simon, Son Of John, Do You Love Me?” Peter Answered, “Yes, Lord, You Know That I Love You.” Jesus Said, “Take Care Of My Sheep.” Notice Here That Jesus Now Referred To Sheep And Not Lamb.
A Sheep Is Much Older Than A Lamb And So This Could Imply That Jesus Is Now Instructing Peter To Care For The Disciples. To Care For The Followers Of Christ.
One Last Time, Jesus Asked Peter, “Do You Love Me?” Peter Was Hurt By This Third Question, But It’s Also A Moment Of Self Reflection For Peter, It’s In This Moment In Front Of His Disciples That Peter’s Boasting Was Over – He Was Humbled.
And Peter Highlighted An Attribute Of God In His Answer To Jesus He Said
In V17 “He Said, ‘lord You Know All Things; You Know That I Love You.’
Lord You Know All Things – It’s Recognizing The Omniscience Of Jesus.
It’s Saying I Acknowledge That Only You Lord Knows My Heart For You Are God.
And Jesus Replies:
‘feed My Sheep.’ ”
There’s A Difference Between Taking Care Of The Sheep With Feeding The Sheep.
Taking Care Of Someone May Involve Looking Out For Them But Feeding Someone Is Literally Being Made Responsible For Their Nourishment.
Jesus Is Entrusting Peter With This Great Responsibility – Not Only To Look After The Disciples But Also To Feed Them With Spiritual Nourishment,
To Ensure They Are Filled With The Truths Of Jesus.
To Nourish Is To Build-Up, To Strengthen And Motivate The Disciples To Press Forth With The Great Commission Of Jesus.
From Then On In, Peters Life Will Never Be The Same Again.
You Know Dear Friends - Jesus Is Also Asking You And Me This Same Question:
"Do You Love Me More Than These?"
This Question Is Very Important To Jesus Our Lord.
You See, Our Lord Cares About Us Loving Him — Of Putting Him First Before Any Other Thing In Our Lives.
Why So You Might Ask? Say Why? I’m Glad You Asked:
Well Let Me Give You 2 Reasons.
So One – It’s For Our Own Good.
Jesus Is Asking Us To Love Him More Not Because He’s Selfish Or Conceited - It’s For Our Own Good!
You See If We Do Not Love Christ More, We Fall Into Our Human Tendencies To Love That Which Brings Us Pleasure.
We End Up Having Idols Slowly Creeping Up On Us!
Whether It Be The Love Of Money,
Or The Love Of Other People's Approval,
Or The Love Of Our Careers,
Or The Love Of A Hobby,
Or The Love Of A Sin That Is Too Precious To Give Up To The Lord –
And These Tendencies Will Surely Lead Us To Ruin.
Second Reason: Spiritual Maturity
By Loving Jesus More Than Anything Or Anyone Else In Our Lives Brings About A Spiritual Maturity That Enables Us To Take In The Capacity To Care, Feed And Love Other People.
Loving Jesus More Enables Us To Fulfill The Great Commission Of The Lord In Our Lives -
Matthew 28:19 Jesus Says To All Of Us Believers,
"Go And Make Disciples Of All Nations."
And You Might Be Asking The Lord, Why Me Lord? "Why Such Confidence In Me, Lord?"
We Find The Answer To These Questions From Jesus In Matthew 28:20,
"And Surely I Am With You Always, To The Very End Of The Age."
You See The Very Reason Why Peter Can Feed The Sheep In Spite Of His Failures –
And The Reason Why You And I Can Be The Disciples That Christ Has Commissioned Each One Of Us To Be —
Is Not Because Of Our Own Strength But Because Of Jesus Who - Along With His Presence In Our Lives - Gives Us The Power To Love In Ways We Could Not In Our Own Strength. Amen! I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.
And Then We Come To Verse 21-22
John 21:21–22
"When Peter Saw Him, He Asked, ‘lord, What About Him?’ Jesus Answered, ‘if I Want Him To Remain Alive Until I Return, What Is That To You? You Must Follow Me.’"
• Jesus Has Just Reinstated Peter After His Denial, Asking Him Three Times To “Feed My Sheep.”
• Peter Is Restored, Commissioned, And Entrusted With Leadership.
• Yet Immediately, Peter Looks At John And Asks: “Lord, What About Him?”
Even After Receiving A Clear Calling, Our Human Tendency Is To Compare Ourselves With Others.
• Peter’s Question Reflects Insecurity: “What About John’s Role? What’s His Destiny Compared To Mine?”
• Comparison Shifts Focus From Obedience To Competition.
• Instead Of Rejoicing In His Calling, Peter Is Distracted By Someone Else’s Path.
Many Believers Today Hesitate To Walk Into Their Calling Because They Are Busy Measuring Themselves Against Others—Gifts, Platforms, Influence, Or Outcomes.
Jesus Answers Firmly: “What Is That To You? You Must Follow Me.”
• In Other Words: “Peter, John’s Story Is Not Your Story. Stop Comparing. Your Responsibility Is To Follow Me.”
• Jesus Redirects Peter’s Gaze From Others Back To Himself.
As Believers, We All Have The Same Destination,
But We All Operate In Different Callings.
Your Calling Is Unique.
God Writes Different Assignments For Different People.
Comparison Blinds Us To Our Own Mission.
• When We Fixate On Others, We Miss The Joy And Responsibility Of Our Own Assignment.
• God’s Will For Your Life Is Not Diminished By Someone Else’s Success.
• Faithfulness, Not Comparison, Is The Measure Of Discipleship.
Many People Don’t Step Into Ministry, Leadership,
Or Obedience Because They Think:
?? “I’m Not As Gifted As Him.”
?? “I Don’t Have Her Influence.”
?? “What If My Calling Looks Smaller?”
• Your Calling Is Not Defined By Comparison—It’s Defined By Christ.
Where Have You Been Tempted To Compare Your Journey To Someone Else’s?
• What Assignment Has God Placed Before You That You’ve Delayed Because Of Insecurity?
Comparison Blinds Us To Our Calling, But Obedience Keeps Us Aligned With Christ’s Purpose.
And We End With The Last Verse In The Chapter:
Jesus Did Many Other Things As Well. If Every One Of Them Were Written Down, I Suppose That Even The Whole World Would Not Have Room For The Books That Would Be Written.
John Closes His Gospel By Pointing Us Back To The Truth He Declared At The Beginning: “In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was With God, And The Word Was God” (John 1:1).
The Gospel Of John Begins And Ends With The Deity Of Christ. He Is Not Merely A Man Who Did Great Things—He Is The Eternal God Whose Works Are Limitless.
Many People Limit Jesus To A Teacher, Prophet, Or Moral Guide. John Reminds Us That His Works Are Divine, Infinite, And Beyond Human Record.
• As Disciples, We Are Called To Trust Him Not Only For What He Did In History But For What He Continues To Do In Eternity.
• His Deity Assures Us That His Promises Are Unshakable, His Power Is Inexhaustible, And His Presence Is Eternal.
