THE SAVIOUR: The Glory, Deity, and Saving Power of Jesus Christ
INTRODUCTION — “Who Is This Jesus We Follow?”
Church, when we speak about discipleship—following Jesus—we must begin with the most foundational question of all:
Who is Jesus?
Not who culture says He is.
Not who our feelings say He is.
Not who popular spirituality imagines Him to be.
But who God has revealed Him to be in Scripture.
Today, we anchor ourselves in one of the greatest declarations of the Christian faith:
“We believe in the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His real and complete humanity, in His sinless life, in His authoritative teaching, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His blood shed, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and His second advent to receive His Church.”
This is not simply doctrine.
This is not merely theology.
This is the Jesus we follow.
This is the Saviour we love.
This is the Lord who is coming again.
Tonight we will explore these truths as disciples who want to know Jesus more deeply, follow Him more fully, and proclaim Him more boldly.
Colossians 1:15–20 (NLT): “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
POINT 1 — JESUS IS TRULY AND FULLY GOD
Paul, writing to combat false teaching in Colossae, declares that Jesus is not a created being, not merely a prophet, not simply a spiritual guide—He is “the visible image of the invisible God.”
The Greek word for image is e???? (eikon)—meaning the perfect, exact representation.
Jesus does not reflect God.
He reveals God.
John 1:1 (NLT) strengthens this: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem.
He is eternal—without beginning or end.
To deny the deity of Christ is to destroy the Gospel, for only God can save.
If Jesus were not God, His death would be inspirational but not redemptive.
Imagine a fireman outside a burning building. He could shout instructions from safety, but if he truly loves, he runs into the fire.
Jesus is not a distant Saviour shouting advice from Heaven—He entered our world, entered our suffering, entered our death, to rescue us.
John Piper: “Jesus Christ is the point of the universe. Everything exists to show Him off.”
Yes! Piper reminds us that Christ is not an accessory to our faith—He is the centre, the source, the purpose, the fullness of everything. Discipleship begins with lifting Jesus to His rightful place as God.
Application
If Jesus is truly God:
– We bow to His authority.
– We submit to His Word.
– We trust His promises!
POINT 2 — JESUS IS TRULY AND COMPLETELY HUMAN
John 1:14 (NLT): “So the Word became human and made his home among us.”
The Greek phrase ?s????se? ?? ?µ?? means “pitched His tent among us”—
God with skin on.
God walking our roads.
God touching our wounds.
Virgin Birth - Luke 1:34–35 (NLT): Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God."
This is not myth. It is fulfilment of Isaiah 7:14 (NLT): "All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
The miracle protects both His deity and His humanity."
Sinless Life - Hebrews 4:15 (NLT): "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin."
The word sin (Greek ?µa?t?a – hamartia) means “to miss the mark”.
Jesus never missed.
He never lied, never lusted, never hated, never rebelled, never failed.
Perfect obedience.
Illustration
A jeweller displays diamonds on black velvet to magnify their brilliance.
Christ’s sinlessness shines brightest against the black velvet of human sin.
Max Lucado: “God became like us so we could become like Him.”
Lucado captures discipleship: Jesus took our nature so He could give us His righteousness and transform our lives. His humanity bridges Heaven and Earth for us.
Application
If Jesus became fully human, He understands your struggles:
– Your temptations.
– Your tears.
– Your trials.
And He stands ready to help.
POINT 3 — JESUS DIED, ROSE, ASCENDED, AND INTERCEDES FOR US
This is the heart of the Gospel.
Substitutionary Atonement — Isaiah 53:5 (NLT): "But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed."
He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
The Hebrew word for crushed (??????? – dakka’) means “to be broken into pieces.”
Jesus was broken that we might be made whole.
Jesus Took Your Place
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT): “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin.”
He took our guilt, our shame, our punishment—
not symbolically, but actually.
Bodily Resurrection — Luke 24:6 (NLT): “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”
Ascension — Acts 1:9 (NLT): “He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching.”
Intercession — Romans 8:34 (NLT): “He is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”
The Greek ??t?????e? (entygchanei) means “to intervene on behalf of another.”
Right now, Jesus is praying for you.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (NLT): “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”
Charles Stanley: “Jesus doesn’t merely save us; He keeps us.”
What comfort for disciples! The Saviour who died for us now intercedes for us and will come again to bring us home. Our salvation is secure because He is faithful.
Application
– Trust Jesus fully.
– Live ready for His return.
– Serve with urgency.
– Share the Gospel boldly.
THE GOSPEL CALL
Beloved, the Gospel is not advice; it is the announcement that:
– Jesus lived the life you could never live.
– Jesus died the death you deserved to die.
– Jesus rose from the grave with power to save.
– Jesus offers forgiveness, new life, and eternal hope.
Your sin separates you from God.
Your efforts cannot save you.
Your religion cannot cleanse you.
But Jesus can.
Acts 4:12 (NLT): “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
If you have never repented—turn today.
If you have never trusted Christ—believe today.
If you have wandered—return today.
If you have grown cold—ignite your heart today.
Come to Jesus, the Saviour.
Surrender to Jesus, the Lord.
Follow Jesus, the King who is coming again.
CALL TO ACTION FOR BELIEVERS:
Worship Him more deeply — He is God.
Walk with Him more closely — He became human for you.
Witness more boldly — He died and rose for the world.
Watch with expectation — He is coming soon.
CONCLUSION & BENEDICTION:
May the Lord Jesus Christ—
the eternal God,
the Word made flesh,
the Lamb who was slain,
the risen King,
the ascended High Priest,
and the soon-coming Lord—
fill your heart with worship,
your life with obedience,
and your steps with boldness
as you follow Him all your days.
Amen.
