Who is Jesus?

Scripture Passages: Hebrews 1:1-3, John 1:1, John 1:14, 1 Timothy 2:3-6

Main Thought: Through Jesus -- revealed to us as fully God, fully man, and the only One who can reconcile us to God -- each of us may know and relate to God in a personal way.

Outline:

Jesus is the full revelation of God enabling us to know the truth about our Creator God.
Jesus is the eternal God revealed so that we can direct our worship to the one true God.
Jesus is the perfect human, full of grace and truth, allowing us to personally relate to the one true God.
Jesus is the Mediator who reconciles us, being sinful humans, to the holy, eternal God.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Heb. 1:1-3 NIV)

1. Jesus is the full revelation of God enabling us to know the truth about our Creator God.

The prophets testified to the truth of our Creator God, but now Jesus Christ has come as the full revelation of God to humanity. All that God is and all that we can know about God is revealed in Jesus Christ.

Moses called Him "YHWH" or "I AM THAT I AM" (Exo. 3:14). Job called Him the "Almighty God" (Job 6:4, NIV). Isaiah cried out concerning "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6, NIV). Jeremiah thunders about the "Sovereign Lord" (Jer. 2:22, NIV). Daniel predicts the coming "Anointed One, the Ruler" (Dan. 9:25, NIV). All the prophets proclaimed truth about our Creator God and His coming Savior. Today, though, we have the full revelation of God given to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets' visions and revelations from God. While the prophets spoke of the limited revelation God gave to them, Jesus speaks the word of God. He "radiates" or brings forth to us the glory of God -- all that God is and all that God does. He is God, the "exact representation of His being" who created all things and sustains all things by His own unlimited power.

The prophets testified to the truth of our Creator God, but now Jesus Christ has come as the full revelation of God to humanity. All that God is and all that we can know about God is revealed in Jesus Christ.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 NIV)

2. Jesus is the eternal God revealed so that we can direct our worship to the one true God.

There are many gods today. Some pursue the god of money -- money is life itself to some people. All of their time, talent, and attention is given to the acquisition and appropriation of money. Hence, they worship it. Some pursue the god of power and influence -- control of others is the only thing that matters to some people. Their life hinges on being in control of any situation, any person, or any business deal. Hence, they worship the god of power and influence. Other gods include food, rock stars, movie stars, movies, and just about any other aspect of our creation. Then we have those who worship the creation itself, claiming that God is the creation. Others think God is their subconscious and worship their New Age self. There are many false Gods but only one true God. Many idolize inanimate objects but there is only one true and living God -- Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the One who longs for the intimacy of our worship.

In the original Greek language, the tense of the verb "was" in John 1:1 indicates continues action. So a literal rendering of this would read, "In the beginning always was the Word, and the Word always was with God, and the Word always was God." This makes the important point in Scripture that Jesus is eternal, not a created being of any kind. He is the Son of God, distinct from the Father, and yet He is God the Son eternally.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God distinct from the Father, and yet fully God Himself.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NIV)

3. Jesus is the perfect human, full of grace and truth, allowing us to personally relate to the one true God.

It's a Christmas story with a year-round message. The story is told of the skeptic on Christmas Eve who finally decided to stop "playing church" for his family's sake. "Go on without me. I'll just sit here and read the paper by the fire." His family was disappointed but headed on to the church. The bitter cold of winter brought a new outpouring of snow. The skeptic gazed outside at the snow and also a curious sight -- birds who were trapped by the sudden snowstorm. They were freezing cold and began to fly toward the house, specifically toward the warmth of the fire. They crashed into the glass windows. Undaunted by the humiliation and driven by the cold, they continued to beat against the glass. The skeptic finally got his coat and went outside to chase the birds into his garage. But they were afraid of him. No matter how he approached the freezing birds, they flew off to a safe distance. Several birds fell over in the snow, all of the life within frozen by the bitter winter night. The man cried out, "If only I could become a bird -- I could tell them to fly into the garage where they would be saved ..." And just then, the church bells rang. The man finally realized that this is why Jesus had come into the world. Right there, he sank to his knees, repented, and turned his life over to God -- to the God who became a man so that we could fully understand Him, His character, and His message of salvation.

Jesus is God who became a perfect human and lived among us for a time to reveal to us in person God's glory, grace, and truth.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. (1 Tim. 2:3-6 NIV)

4. Jesus is the Mediator who reconciles us, being sinful humans, to the holy, eternal God.

What do pigskins, labor unions, and corporate moguls have in common? All are involved in mediating salary disputes. Not just football, but baseball, basketball, hockey, and just about every other sport has had players and teams involved in salary or contract disputes. To resolve many of these conflicts, a mediator was brought in to settle the case. The mediator was both distinct from the two parties and yet he represented the interests of both parties. His job was to bring the two parties together in an equitable solution.

God desires all men to be saved but sin separates us from Him. A sacrifice had to be made to take away the barrier of our sins. Only God could make a perfect sacrifice. Only a perfect human could make an acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins. So God became a perfect human to represent God and mankind as the Mediator who would reconcile sinful man to holy God. Through Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, He provided for our reconciliation to God. Though "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;..." our reconciliation was accomplished when "...the LORD ... laid on Him [Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6 NIV).

God became like us so that we could be like Him. He took on a human nature yet without sin so that He could mediate salvation Himself between sinful humans and a holy God..

If you need to be certain that you have forgiveness of your sins and an eternal relationship with the one true God, then study the message How You Can Be Sure About Heaven. And may God bless you with the joy of salvation through Jesus Christ our LORD!

End Notes

Note - English definitions derived from Webster's Concise Dictionary, Modern Publishing, copyright 1984. Greek/Hebrew definitions derived from Strong's Greek/Hebrew Concordance. Also, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Vine, Unger, and White, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985.

1. flesh (John 1:1)

English: the body tissue -- muscle, fat, bones, etc.; the body as distinct from the soul.
Greek/Hebrew: 4561. sarx, sarx; prob. from the base of G4563; flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extens.) the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or (by impl.) human nature (with its frailties [phys. or mor.] and passions), or (spec.) a human being (as such):--carnal (-ly, + -ly minded), flesh ([-ly]).

Analysis: This obviously refers to the human body -- Jesus became an actual human being.

2. mediator (1 Tim 2:5)

English: one who is being between two extremes; one who intervenes.
Greek/Hebrew: 3316. mesites, mes-ee'-tace; from G3319; a go-between, i.e. (simply) an internunciator, or (by impl.) a reconciler (intercessor):--mediator.

Analysis: As a mediator, Jesus is our go-between between ourselves and God.