Which Jesus Do You Follow? Series

As we mentioned in our bulletin this morning, we begin a new series of messages today entitled "Meet the Real Jesus?'

And I'm going to begin this morning by asking each of you here, "Which Jesus do you follow?"

Now, yes, I'm anticipating some questions or comments which are going something like this: "What do you mean? There's only one Jesus, isn't there."

And I agree, absolutely, that there is only one real Jesus. However, having said that, the truth of the matter is that there are many counterfeit Jesuses out there. There are many who believe in and follow a false concept, or counterfeit version of Jesus.

For instance, there is the Marxist Jesus found in Liberation Theology--the idea being that what Jesus was really about was liberating the oppressed victims of political and social injustices and re-distributing wealth from the rich to the poor. Then there's the New Age Jesus--the Jesus who is simply one of many "Ascended Masters" who approves of any and all occult involvements that you might practice. And then there's the Guru Jesus, that Hindu or Bahai philosophy that Jesus is just one of many avatars or manifestations of God to appear on the planet, and you can worship any one of them you want, you just can't worship Jesus exclusively. And then there's the Prosperity Jesus, who's will for you is to be rich, if only you'll give superabundantly to whatever TV or Radio evangelist is promoting him. And there are actually too many false concepts of Jesus to mention, but one I will mention this morning is the Religious Jesus, the Jesus who may forgive you and promise you heaven if only you'll involve yourself in as many religious rituals as you can, and do as many good works as you can, only you can never know for sure, so that's your motivation for continuing to do good works and religious rituals over and over again, you just might not have done enough.

Now the idea that there are counterfeit concepts of Jesus is not a new one. It was something that was happening as far back as the first century, within 30 years of the death, resurrection and ascension of the real Jesus. The Apostle Paul addressed the problem back in 58 A. D. in the New Testament, in his second letter to the Church at Corinth where counterfeit concepts of Jesus were being preached. He wrote in II Corinthians 11:4, "For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully."

Now his statement here was definitely not a commendation of the Corinthians for accepting the person who preached "another Jesus." It was actually a way of sarcastically stating that the Corinthians should not have tolerated should false teaching. That becomes clear as Paul states the potential consequences for those who both teach a false concept and Jesus and those who accept and follow such a false Jesus in verse 15 of II Corinthians 11: "Whose end will be according to their deeds." A rather ominous prediction, to say the least.

So, this matter of know whether you're actually following the real Jesus, or a counterfeit Jesus is just a little important. If you're following a wrong Jesus, it is likely to have a destructive effect on your relationship with God, and it might even lead to eternal destruction. So, again, this morning, I ask this crucial question: Which Jesus do you follow?

Well, the next question you should be asking at this point is this, "Well, how can I know whether I'm following the real Jesus or not?"

The answer is simply this: By comparing your concept of Jesus to the Jesus presented in the most ancient and reliable historical accounts of Jesus, the Gospels, as well as the New Testament, written mostly by the eyewitnesses to Jesus, the apostles themselves, or their close associates. In other words, the entire basis for anyone's so-called Christianity, or concept of Jesus should be based solidly on the New Testament documents, because they constitute the very foundation upon which Christianity, or at least, true Christianity is based. Without the New Testament, real Christianity would not exist, because we only reliably know who Jesus Christ is through the eyewitness and apostolic accounts of Him that we find in the New Testament, and especially the Gospels.

So, the question you need to be asking this morning is this: Is the Jesus I follow really the real Jesus who is presented to us in the New Testament, the very foundation for all we know about Jesus? If it's not, then it's time to make an adjustment.

So, this morning, we've read a very interesting story about two very ordinary but real people in the Gospels who had an encounter with the real Jesus. Exhibit A is the highly respected, highly religious, scrupulous ethical, Simon the Pharisee. And Exhibit B is the unnamed very sinful woman, the woman of ill repute, whom everyone in her neighborhood apparently recognized as an absolute failure in terms of her moral and spiritual life. She is a great sinner. Even Jesus acknowledges this.