How Have You Responded To The Claims Of Jesus?
John 10:1-28
To fully understand who Jesus was and why He came we have to go back to the very beginning. In Genesis Chapter 3 the human race is plunged into depravity because of Adam’s sin. Romans 5:18 says, “...as through one man's offense judgment came to all
men, resulting in condemnation...” Because of the fall we sinners by nature as well as lifestyle. Sin is simply doing what God said don’t do, or not doing what He said to do
The crisis rests in two facts, 1) we are sinners and 2) God is absolutely Holy, that is He is completely separated from anything sinful. Isaiah 59:2 puts it this way, “your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you.” Because God is holy and we are unrighteous to the core we cannot ever enter into a right
relationship with Him through our own efforts.
You might say then why doesn’t God simply forgive, and embrace humanity as if the offense never occurred? Because God is absolutely just. Because of this He cannot simply overlook our sinfulness, the penalty must be paid. That my friend is the bad news.
The good news is that God is also loving and merciful. Because of this He created and revealed His plan to redeem us. That plan involves the Messiah (or Christ) coming to pay the penalty for our transgressions. The title Messiah is simply the title given to the redeemer.
Genesis 3:15 reveals the first promise regarding the Messiah, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.'' Notice first of all He is called the “Seed Of The Woman.” This is a very unique term that could only be fulfilled by a virgin birth. Notice
also the phrase “bruise His heel” there is little doubt that Jesus’ heel was bruised as He was nailed to the cross. When Jesus rose from the dead He dealt Satan a death blow, thus bruising his head.
From this point on all humanity looked with anticipation to the coming Redeemer, the Messiah. Satan quickly raised up counterfeit messiah’s, this is why the mother goddess and divine son image was a common form of idolatry. Satan also began to distort the problem. Sin was no longer the problem with mankind, but rather he simply didn’t realize he was a god. As time went on God revealed more and more about the Messiah, until a clear picture emerged. Here are SOME of the prophecies regarding the Messiah.
1. He will be a descendent of Abraham, Genesis12:3 (that is He would come forth from the nation Israel.) 2. He would arise from the tribe of Judah, Genesis 49:10. 3. He would spring up from the lineage of king David, Isaiah 11:1-10. 4. He will be born in
Bethlehem, Micah 5:2. 5. He is Yahweh (God’s proper Name), Isaiah 44:6 (read this passage very carefully.) 6. He would die to atone for sin and be resurrected,Isaiah 53.
Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the long anticipated Messiah. What will you do with Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah? Becoming a Christian, a follower of the Messiah [or Christ], is not a matter of repeating some “magic” words. Rather it is accepting His claims, and receiving Him as your personal sin-bearer. Jesus did not come to earth to be
an add-on to your life, like a new pair of shoes or a new friend. He claimed to be the very source of life, John 1:4, 14:6. He claimed to be the one and only Light of the world, John 8:12.
He did not come start a new religion, but to reconcile fallen humanity with God, Luke 19:10. Jesus claimed to be the dividing line for the eternal destiny of all mankind. To reject Him is to reject all hope of obtaining eternal life, John 5:24, 8:23-24, 14:6. Jesus claimed that a person had to accept His claims in order to become a child of God, John 8:42-47. To become a Christian you MUST ACCEPT the claims of Jesus, regarding who He was as well as what He came to do.
Claims Pertaining To Who He Was
First, He claimed to be the one and only Savior; “I am the door of the sheep” John 10:7, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” John 10:9. In these passages He was clearly saying He was the ONE and ONLY door through which a person could enter into the sheepfold of God. He is saying all other “doors” are traps, they do not lead to salvation. Lets take a close look at John 10:1,8,10.
“He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber”, (v1). Simply put the false Messiahs 1) lacked the authority to be the Messiah (wrong credentials), 2) they tried to enter in the wrong way (wrong message).
“All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers,” (v8). He is saying, all who had, or would ever make the claim to be the Messiah, or the Savior or the Teacher are thieves and robbers. This includes, Buddha, Mohammed, the Dahli Lama, et all.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy,” (v10). To follow the teachings of a false Messiah/Savior/Teacher absolutely destroys any hope of obtaining eternal life.
Jesus NEVER claimed that “all roads lead to God.” As a matter of fact He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” John 14:6. The message Jesus brought is not politically correct, but it is NOT hate speech.
There is absolutely nothing hateful about telling someone they are going the wrong way. You cannot be a Christian and believe “all paths lead to God.” Because that concept makes Jesus out to be a liar.
Second, Jesus clearly claimed to be Yahweh; Yahweh (Jehovah) is God’s proper name. In the Old testament Yahweh is translated as LORD or I AM, (see Isaiah 45:5-6). In John 10:11, and 14 Jesus made the claim, “I am the good shepherd.” In Psalm 23 we read the LORD is my shepherd; notice the “LORD” (Yahweh) the shepherd. He is also designated
as THE shepherd in Psalm 79:13, 80:1, Jeremiah 23:3, and Ezekiel 34:11. No king,prophet or priest ever claimed to be THE shepherd, that was Yahweh’s position, and His alone. Jesus didn’t claim to be A shepherd but THE shepherd.
Jesus claimed to be Yahweh on other occasions. In John 8:58 He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” The people around Him knew Who He had just claimed to be; that is why they tried to stone Him. Exodus 3:14-15 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, `What is His name?' what
shall I say to them?'' And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.'' And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.' ''
On another occasion Jesus said, “...He who has seen Me has seen the Father...” John 14:9. If Jesus was a mere man this would be major blasphemy. Yahweh said that He could be compared to nothing in Isaiah 46:5 "To whom will you liken Me, and make Me
equal and compare Me, that we should be alike?
Please note that in claiming to be Yahweh, He was not teaching the new age idea that all mankind was divine. Jesus made it very clear that He was unique. In John 3:16 He said He was the “Only Begotten Son.” He also taught “You are from beneath; I am from
above. You are of this world; I am not of this world”, John 8:23. You cannot be a Christian and believe that Jesus is anything less than Yahweh.
Claims Pertaining to What He Came To Do
Jesus came to provide the only way to obtain eternal life, John 10:26-28 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Other religions and religious leaders have devised systems which if followed will assist a person in becoming a better person. A person who follows the teachings of Buddha, or Mohammed, or the Dahli
Lama, will be nice, moral people. But the issue is not becoming a better person, but obtaining eternal life, which only comes with being reconciled with God. John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” Jesus is clearly claiming that He is the only way to obtain eternal life, no other religion, teacher, or denomination can give eternal life.
How is it that Jesus is able to provide eternal life? Jesus came to die, and be resurrected, in order to provide eternal life. “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”, John 10:11; “I lay down My life for the sheep”, John 10:15; “I lay down My life
that I may take it again.”, John 10:17. The death burial and resurrection of Jesus is the very heart of the Gospel message. I Corinthians 15:1-4 says, “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand; by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you
believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” In His death burial and resurrection He paid the penalty we deserve as sinners by nature an conduct. He also provides for us the
righteousness we need in order to stand in a right relationship with God. II Corinthians 5:20-21 “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” What
about works? Jesus answered that question in John 6:28-29 “Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?'' Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.''
Your Eternal Destiny Depends On One Thing: Not have you been baptized, gone to church, Mecca, or washed in the Ganges. Not have your good deeds outweighed your bad deeds. BUT WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH JESUS!!! You cannot be neutral when it comes to Jesus. John 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him, the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last
day. Jesus was either a Lunatic, a Liar, or LORD; if He was a Lunatic then He is in need of help, not adoration, and obedience; if He was a Liar then He should be despised for trying to pull such a sham; As LORD He is worthy of all our adoration, confidence and
obedience
