Sunday, March 21, 2010 am        Return to Index

  WHO IS THIS JESUS?
Why Study Jesus?

Today we will begin an ongoing study of the life and ministry of Jesus. The reasons for studying about Jesus ought to be obvious, but in this lesson we want to remind ourselves of what He ought to mean to us.

Who is this Jesus? While Jesus was here upon earth, He did many things that prompted those around to consider Him seriously. For example:

•       Matthew 21:10 as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, people saw the fanfare and said, "Who is this?"

•       Luke 7:49 as Jesus forgave the sins of a woman who bathed His feet with costly oil and her tears, Simon the Pharisee and others at the table asked, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

•       In Luke 9:9 when Herod heard of all the works done by Jesus he asked, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"

•       In John 12:34 as His final week was approaching that would lead to His crucifixion, Jesus is teaching and hears a voice from heaven along with others around Him which glorified Him.  As Jesus spoke of His impending death, the people responded by saying, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of Man?"

On many different occasions we find different circumstances which all lead to the same inquiry, "Who is this Jesus?" Even at this juncture in time, some 2000 years this side of the cross, man still asks that question searching for real answers to this life. And it is something we ALL need to ask!

As Christians we profess that our lives are centered around Jesus. We know what He did for us, but how often do we think about His life and how it ought to affect our lives?

In this series of lessons I want to examine the life and ministry of Jesus with the hope that we will be reminded of exactly what He did for us and why He did it. May we seek in all that we do to hide our lives in Him! Our goal is to help us fulfill Paul's command in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."

Today we want to notice some reasons WHY we ought to study about Jesus. This series is going to be presented in groups of lessons throughout the next 21 months. We will deal with various events in His life and spend considerable time examining His ministry.

I.          Jesus - the focal point of history!

a.    In 1926, James A. Francis wrote an essay entitled: One Solitary Life. His essay has had far reaching
impact and has been slightly modified. Later versions read like this:

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village,where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.  He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.

b.    His impact upon this world cannot be denied.   He is the central point around which history evolves!
Even our calendar is centered around His coming to this earth.

Man throughout the centuries has tried to either further His work OR tried to discredit everything about Him and remove every mention of Him. Personally, man either loves Him and seeks to follow Him or he hates Him because His laws are an indictment against his ungodly and dark behavior. But the impact of Jesus CANNOT be denied.

c.    AT some point in life, everyone will come face to face with the decision that will alter the course of the rest of his life. And that decision involves Jesus! He will either choose to follow Him or to reject Him and follow some other course in this life.   WE know that this decision is the most important one you will make and it has eternal consequences.

Solomon wrote at the conclusion of his quest for real meaning in this life, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:32-33, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

d.   MY JOB in this study is to examine His life and thereby encourage us to build our faith in Him and everything He means to us. The more we know about Jesus, the better prepared we will be to serve Him and teach others about Him.

e.    The Bible speaks of Jesus being the center of history.

Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,^s to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

Ephesians 1:7-10, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him."

Hebrews 1:1-2, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds"

II.          He is our Savior

a.    Because we are all sinners and our sins have separated us from our God we are in need of being saved. Jesus is that Savior.

b.   Luke 2:11, as Jesus was born, the angels announced it! He said, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

c.    1 John 4:14 - "the Father has sent the Son as savior of the world."

d.   John 3:16-17 - He came to this earth that we through Him might be saved.

e.    1 John 2:2 - He, "is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."

f.    Romans 5:6-11 - while still sinners Christ died for us!

g.    We come in contact with His blood by obeying the gospel.

h.    As we study His life we ought to come to an appreciation of what He sacrificed to make this salvation possible for us. Phil. 2:5-11.

III.        He is our Example

a.    1 Cor. 11:1 again says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Paul saw the importance of
following the example of Jesus.

b.    An error that many espouse today in the religious world is that we have to sin. While it is true that everyone WILL sin (Rom. 3:23,1 John 1:10, etc.) we CANNOT point to any specific sin and say we HAD TO do that. When man does this, he is excusing sinful behavior in his life to some degree (which varies depending on what one believes and does). That is the danger of teaching that we inherit the sin of Adam or that we have a sinful nature.  That is why it is important that we understand that we do NOT have to sin! (cf. 1 John 3:4-9)

c.    When Jesus came to this earth, He became a man and lived as a man (Phil. 2:5-7). Hebrews 2:14-18 and 4:15-16 points out that He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. In so doing, Jesus set for us an EXAMPLE that we do NOT have to sin! We learn from Jesus how to live without sin.

d.    He IS our example:

Phil. 2:5, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..."

Ephesians 5:1-2, "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

Hi.   1 Peter 2:21, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps"

iv.   1 John 2:6, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

e.    As we study the life of Jesus, we learn HOW to overcome and resist sin in our lives. We also have
increased hope that we CAN overcome sin.

IV.         He is our Mediator

a.    Because of our sins, we need an advocate to fight for us.

b.    Jesus is the ONLY advocate between us and the Father

i.    1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ."

ii.   Hebrews 2:14-18 describes Him as our High Priest. A study of the High Priest under the Old Law shows that he was a mediator, just as Christ is. In fact, the Hebrew writer will expand on this throughout the book.

Hebrews 7:25 reads, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 8:6, "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediatorofa better covenant, which was established on better promises."

iii.   In John 14:6 Jesus said, "/ am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

c.    While on this earth Jesus lived to fight for us! We will see that in the way He reacted to the less
fortunate, the pure instructions He gave for us to live by AND ultimately in the price He paid dying on the cross.   He life was lived selflessly

V.          He is our Compass

a.    Jesus offers us a better life while on this earth. The way He offers is so much better than living
without Him. Following His example gives us real purpose. Following Him helps us to face whatever comes our way. In Him, this life cannot defeat us!

i.   John 10:10, Jesus says, "/ have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more

abundantly." ii.   Peace in this life. John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 5:1).

Jesus offers a life of peace - Peace with God, with ourselves and with one another, iii.   Joy in this life. John 15:11, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in

you, and that your joy may be full."

Phil. 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice."

b.    He guides us by His words - we know how to live better because of His teachings.  John 6:63 says, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."

John 12:44-50 finds Jesus challenging all to listen to His words. Why? Because they will judge us in the last days and give us everlasting life.

c.    We live lives that are of such a higher quality when we learn how Jesus lived and what He taught and strive to imitate them in all that we do.