Charles Stanley - Who Is This Jesus?
The most important question we’re facing today isn’t political or anything to do with the military or resources or the climate or even our finances. All of those are important questions. But the most important question of all is this. Who is this Jesus Christ? You say, Well, what difference does it make who he is? It’s makes all the difference in this world and it makes all the difference in your eternity. You see, the way you respond to him, he molds your character. He will, listen, impact your whole belief system. He’ll influence your lifestyle, and he will determine your eternal destiny. That’s why it’s very important what you believe about the person of Jesus. For many people, they still keep him in a manger in a stable. That’s not who he was. That’s just how he came.
What you believe about him, how you respond to him will affect your eternal destiny. That means whatever is going on, he’s worth considering. And the simple purpose for this message is to answer this question. Who is this Jesus? Not who do I think he is or who does somebody else think he is, but who does God say he is? For the author of this book is God himself. From Genesis to Revelation, there is no explanations of life to match these. This is the eternal Word of God, given to us by the eternal God. And therefore, it is certainly worthy of my consideration and my belief. You may be one of those persons who says, Well, what difference does it make? Makes all the difference in the world. «I’m not all that interested in it». One of these days you will be. And it’s my prayer that you will listen carefully.
So I want you to turn, if you will to Matthew chapter 16. Because at this point in the life of Jesus, up until this point, he had been preaching and teaching. Healing people. And was moving right along. And all of a sudden, not suddenly to him, but when you come to the 16th chapter of Matthew, Jesus begins to deal with something that he had not dealt with like this before. This is when he begins to say to them, I’m going to be crucified. And I’m going to die and I’m going to be buried and I’m going to rise. And they, of course, could not handle that. And Peter said, it’s not going to happen to you. So in the course of this conversation here’s what he said to them beginning in verse 13. «Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is? '»
Speaking of himself. «And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist. And others, Elijah. But still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am? ' And Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ.'» That is the Messiah. «The Son of the Living God». «And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but My Father who is in heaven.'» In other words, he said to them, you have the right answer but that isn’t something you came up with. The heavenly Father gave you the correct answer. I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Now, who is this Jesus? And the best way to find out who he is, is to look at his life. Where he came from. his birth. his life. his ministry and all the rest. And so when you think about it, for most people, he began in a stable in Bethlehem of Judea. But that’s not really where he started. You see, the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God. That is, he has no beginning and no ending. And when John the beloved disciple wrote his gospel, this is the way he started. In the beginning was the Word. Capital W., the Greek Word Logos, that is he is the Word. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And nothing that was created was created apart from him.
And in Colossians the first chapter when Paul was writing this epistle, he said something similar. He said it this way. He said, he, speaking of Jesus «is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by him all things were created both in the heavens and on earth. Visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together». That is, Jesus Christ is the preexistent Son of God. Now when you and I see Jesus, we see him as a babe born in Bethlehem in a manger. That was his earthly, watch this, that was God’s earthly, physical entrance into the creation of the world that he himself created. And so he comes upon the scene as the virgin born Son of God.
The angel made that clear to Joseph who was embarrassed about Mary and he made it clear to her that in spite of the fact she couldn’t understand it, she would give birth to a child, his name would be called Jesus, he would be son of the Most High and his kingdom would rule over all the ages. So when somebody says, who is this Jesus? He is the eternal virgin born Son of God who has no beginning, all things exist by him, created by him. He is the Son of God. So when you think about who he is, all of a sudden this little baby in the manger scene is no longer just a little baby. You see unbelievers and people of other religions have sorted ideas about Jesus and they think of him as a child and a prophet and someone who came on the scene teaching and preaching. Remember this. He is the eternal Son of God. No beginning no, end. From eternity past to eternity future.
And if you look at his ministry, for example, he came into the world as a baby, grew up, reason he came as a babe as we’ll talk about. But look what he did. He came as a prophet. He came as a teacher. He came healing people of their sickness and their disease. And he came working miracles from turning water into wine to calming the seas, raising the dead, healing the sick and so forth. And he came as the Messiah. Jesus Christ the Messiah. The long-looked for Messiah. That’s who he was. And all the surroundings and the events about his birth. What really happened is that God came into this world in the person of a baby Jesus Christ the virgin born son in order to carry out and fulfill his mission. You think about the love of God, the awesome love of God he loved you and me enough, listen, to make himself into this babe which grew up like any other little boy. And he did not become God. He was always God.
And remember this. This is very important. Jesus Christ did not become God at the age of 30. He was always God who became man and he became man in order that you and I would be able to relate to God in a much more personal way than we could, as you look at the Old Testament, you don’t see God the same way we see him in the New Testament. So when you begin to ask who He is, you have to ask yourself this question, who did He say He was? If I ask you who you are, I would ask you to tell me who you think you are. And Jesus said to his disciples, listen, what are people saying about who I am? Then He said, «Now who do you say I am»? And Jesus said this is who I am in many different parts of the scripture. Jesus said especially in that eighth, ninth, tenth, sixth through the tenth chapters of John that are so intimate when it comes to who Jesus is and how He reveals himself.
And of all of Jesus’s disciples, his apostles, John was probably the youngest. And He was one of the intimate three: Peter, James, and John. That doesn’t mean that Jesus was prejudiced toward them. But He had an intimate relationship with them. And John outlived them all and ah penned the Revelation that God gave him. And so here’s what He says, Jesus speaking, He said, «I am the Good Shepherd». Good shepherds do what? They take care of their sheep, they tend their sheep, they protect their sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. Not only that, He said, «I am the Door into the sheep fold; This is the way you get in». He said, «I am the vine». In the fifteenth chapter of John, He said we’re the branches, He’s the vine.
When you and I are saved, we’re grafted into the vine so that the sap that runs into the vine runs into the branch so that you and I have the very life of God within us. He said in that fourteenth chapter, He says, «I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me». He said, «I’m the light of the world». And He said to his disciples, «When I’m gone, you’re going to be the light». That is, you’re going to shine forth My life through your life. And so, when you look to see what He said about himself, He said, for example in the Revelation, three times He said, «I am the Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End». That is, He’s the sum total of everything. There’s no one to match him. And there’s nothing like him. So He says, «If you ask me who I am, this is who I am».
Now look at his attributes for a moment. What characterizes him? Well, when you look at what he says about himself and what John said about him and Paul and all the rest of him, he’s the creator of this universe. Somebody says, But wait a minute. Now the Bible says, Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; all three involved in the creation. That is, He’s the Creator. And if you’ll remember again back in Colossians chapter one He ah Paul described Him as not only the Creator but the One who holds all things together. That is, everything that exists exists because of Him. He’s the Creator of everything. He is the Sovereign of the Universe. That is, He rules and reigns over any and every and all things at all times.
«He says he’s established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty rules overall». He is the Sovereign of the Universe. Then think about this, the Bible speaks of Him as being omniscient. He knows everything. Think about this, the One you and I worship knows everything about us. He knows the past. He knows the present. He knows the future. Well, that’s fantastic for the simple reason when you and I come to Him in prayer, we’re coming to somebody who has the answers. Jesus has never said, «I’ll think about it. Or I’ll have I’ll have to research that».
Jesus has all knowledge about all things. He is omniscient. When He came to earth, somebody says, But wait a minute there’s something He didn’t know. One thing. He said the moment of His return, the Father had revealed only for Himself. That as long as He was here, God did not give Him the answer to that question. He is omniscient. He knows all things. He is omnipotent, He has all power. He could raise the dead. That would be the supreme challenge of His power, to raise the dead. Rise from the dead Himself. He created all kind of miracles. He has all power. And if you’ll think about it, when you come to Him to ask something of Him in prayer, don’t you want to be able to ask someone who not only knows what the need is and knows it perfectly but has all power to make it a reality?
And then of course the scripture says that He’s omnipresent, today. Then He was limited in those times. Somebody says, Well, I wish Jesus would keep on living. No. He is living. But He’s omnipresent. So, then somebody says, Well, does that mean He’s over yonder and over here and up there and back yonder? No. That means over here and back yonder and everywhere is in His presence. Every single thing that He’s ever created, this whole universe. And all the other galaxies and universes that may be out there are in the presence of Jesus Christ. That’s why you and I don’t have to go anywhere to get Him. We don’t have to go anywhere to find him. Because you and I at this very moment are sitting or standing in the presence of the Son of God. Because everything and everywhere is in His presence.
That’s who He is. He’s the Sovereign of the universe. He’s the Creator of everything as the scripture says. And He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent. But think about this also, He’s a merciful God. And I love the fact in Hebrews chapter four what He says. Because all of us come to those times in our life where we need to be able to know in our heart, when we come to God, He’s listening; that He cares. What I want you to see is this, He is the person who has the ability and the knowledge and the whereabouts to meet any and every single need we have. And so listen to this, He says, «For we don’t have a high priest,» speaking of Jesus, «who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted and tried in all things as we are, yet without sin».
You’ve not been tempted by anything that Jesus wasn’t. You mean all things? All things. You’ve not been tried by anything He hadn’t been tried by. Anything, everything, all things. He says the difference is, we sin, we fall, we falter, we doubt. But not Jesus. And then the scripture says, «therefore» on the basis of the fact that He’s been tempted and tried. On the basis of the fact that He has all power and knows all things. On the basis of that «let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need».
What an awesome passage. Listen, Jesus made it possible for you and me to come into the very presence, watch this, the presence of holiness. There is no way for us to describe the holiness of God. But you and I have the awesome privilege of coming into the into the presence of God because He is the Great High Priest. And that’s what the scripture also says about Him, He’s the Great High Priest. The difference is this: the high priest before, once a year the the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies and offer sacrifice. And the priests were offering sacrifices day and night. But think about this, Jesus who was and is the Great High Priest not only came as the Great High Priest but listen, He was also the Lamb of God. Which takes away the sin of the world. What an awesome combination.
When I think about how God has designed this whole issue, I think what what an awesome, indescribable mind God has. To provide redemption for mankind. That is, to make it possible for every single one of us to enjoy and to experience and to receive, listen, as a result of all these attributes of who He is, we have the privilege of enjoying and experiencing Him. He’s a God who is merciful. He is a God who is just. He’s a God who, listen, He’s a Jesus is… He lived among men, sinless. Now the only thing they would accuse Him of, of violating some ah principle as far as the way they interpreted this walking of the Sabbath and so forth. And all this silly, ridiculous things that they had done to the law. And Jesus saw that they’d made the law like bondage to people. It’s interesting that nobody could ever point out a single sin that He committed.
So, I would say to you, if you’re one of those persons who does not believe in Jesus Christ, let me ask you a question. What is it about Him you don’t believe? What is it about Him you don’t like? You say, Well, but I don’t believe all that. Then what do you believe? What is your belief system? Listen, do you have a belief system that cannot take care of eternity? Do you have a belief system that cannot give you confidence and courage to face the most difficult, trying things in life? Do you have a belief system that doesn’t deal with sin except by your efforts and abilities and skills? Suppose you’re wrong. Jesus is the Great High Priest. He is the One who went before the Father with all of our sins, laid down His life, shed His blood and made it possible for every single one of us to be forgiven of. Every single sin and stand in the presence of holiness and be forgiven.
And He says as we as we walk in Him, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, is continually cleansing us from all sin. When I think of His attributes, listen, He not only is deity but He’s human. When I think about how God arranged this, that Jesus who was and is God, became man. Took upon Himself the human flesh of a little boy. Grew up as a young man. And died as the Son of God, the Lamb of God. God Himself rose from the dead, sits at the Father’s right hand. We have all the assurance, all the confidence. We don’t have to worry about death. We don’t have to face the future with great anxiety. And it’s real easy for people who are in good health, maybe have everything in the world they want, popularity, and prominence, and prestige and all the rest. «I don’t need that».
There will come a moment in your life when you’ll know that you need something. Your money, your prestige, your prominence, your popularity, none of that can help you when you only have moments to live. Then what about Jesus? You say, Well, maybe it’ll just be too late for me. It could be. What I want you to see is this: He came into the world to die in order that you might have not just life but eternal life. He’s the sinless Son of God. The Eternal Son of God came into the world on our behalf. Who is this Jesus? He’s not just that little baby in Bethlehem that oftentimes people think about. And I think about also His relationship with the Heavenly Father.
Now in those early chapters of John and as I said I do believe that John has the most intimate understanding of who Jesus is. When you think about who Jesus is, what is the relationship He has to the Heavenly Father? Well here’s what He said in those chapters, six, seven, eight, seven, eight, nine, ten, thereabouts. He said, «If you have seen Me», watch this, «If you have seen Me, you’ve seen the Father». What a statement! That’s either the truth or the most prideful, egotistical statement anybody could make. That’d be like you saying, «Well, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen God». No one in his right mind would say that. Jesus said, «If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father». Then He said, «I and the Father are one». Then He said, «I only do those things that are pleasing to the Father». He said, «To know Me is to know the Father. And if you don’t know Me, you cannot know the Father».
His relationship to the Father was was, listen, indescribably linked. Jesus said, «If you have seen Me, you have seen God the Father». To know Me, is to know Him. And to refuse Me is to is to refuse Him. Now now I don’t know of any more powerful statement. Look let look at this, He says if you refuse Me, you refuse, listen, Jehovah God, Yahweh. If you accept Me, then you accept Him. To know Me is to know Him. I mean He He said it in all kind of different ways which says, you could never put Jesus in the crib and leave Him there. That’s not who He is. That was a moment in time when God came to earth, clothed in human flesh, incarnate, in order to reveal Himself, to reveal the Father to us and to die for our sins. What a relationship He had. And, listen, do we not talk about having an intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ?
Intimacy speaks of oneness, closeness, understanding, love and all the other things that go when we when we think in terms of an intimate relationship. So to refuse Jesus is to refuse the Father. And I say this to all of my Jewish friends, here is the truth: you cannot know the Father apart from Jesus. In all the other religions out there, you cannot know the one true God apart from Jesus Christ. And all these prophets, in the past and present will promise you many things. None of them can claim to be sinless. None of them can claim to be infinite and eternal. None of them died and rose from the dead. Only one and that’s Jesus. That is the acid, critical, ultimate test of His truthfulness. That’s who Jesus is. He’s the Son of God. Now somebody says, Well, what is He doing now? Here’s what He’s doing now, the Bible says that He is seated.
Listen, what is He doing? Let’s decide where He is. He’s in two places this morning. Say, how can He be in two places? I love this. He the Bible says He is, seated at the Father’s right hand making intercession for us. That is, we have access to the Father. Listen, through Jesus Christ, seated at the Father’s right hand watching over this creation and all that’s in it. But He’s somewhere else. And that’s where this is where He is. When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior for the forgiveness of your sins, He comes to live within your life through the Holy Spirit who was given to every single believer. And He’s the one who seals our whole future, eternity. Sealed unto the day of redemption. Every single child of God is indwelt by this same Jesus we’ve been talking about. That’s who’s on in the inside.
Watch this carefully, that’s why sin, listen, sin doesn’t fit a follower of Jesus Christ. You say, Well, are you saying that we should be sinless? I’m not saying anything but this, sin doesn’t fit us. Thank God, He’s forgiven us. And He says the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, continually cleanses us from sin. Because it doesn’t fit who we are. We have Jesus living on the inside of us. And what is He doing? Meeting our needs. Showing us the truth, revealing the truth to us. That’s that’s part of the work of the Holy Spirit. And He’s preparing for us a place. That’s what He said, «If I go away to prepare you a place, I’m coming again to receive you to Myself. That where I am you’re going to be also».
And not only that, He’s preparing for His return. He’s coming for His church and then He’s coming ruling and reigning with judgment upon this earth. So, when you think about, who is He? He’s God Incarnate. He’s Creator. He’s Sovereign. He is our Savior, the coming King, the ruling Judge, Lord of Lords, that’s who He is. Now all that being true there’s one last thing. That’s this, all of that is the truth. And I could give you a verse of scripture or more for every single one of these points if we had the time. It’s all there. I’ve just said to you, here’s what God says about His Son Jesus. Now so how are you to respond to that? This is the way we’re to respond to the truth of who Jesus is, first of all we’re to believe Him. We’re to receive Him. We’re to obey Him. We’re to get to know Him. We’re to follow Him. We’re to love Him. We’re to serve Him.
And we are to proclaim Him. And Jesus being who He is the Eternal Son of God, who loved us enough to come and die for us to make it possible for you and me to die and in an instance be in the presence of the Living God forever and ever and ever. Now I ask you this question, I don’t know who you believe in but could the person you follow match all these characteristics, all these attributes? No. Your only hope is the Son of God. And it is my prayer that you will be wise enough to having listened to this message which is the simple truth of who Jesus is. All from the Word of God. You’ll be wise enough to recognize there is no escape from this truth. And to hear it, to ignore it, to reject it, is spiritual suicide. Because it means you choose to be eternally separated from God.
You say, Well, I believe in God but I don’t believe that. Hmm, hmm, hmm. Jesus said, «I and the Father are one. No one comes to the Father but by Me». I plead with you in Jesus name, for the sake of God Himself that you would surrender your life to Him at this moment. And you can do that by asking Him simply to forgive you of your sins. That you believe what you’ve heard. You’re surrendering your life to Him. You don’t oh understand it all at this point but you’re giving yourself to God through His Son Jesus Christ by His death at the cross. And you want to follow Him. And get to know Him and love Him. And obey Him. And serve Him. And proclaim Him all the days of your life. May God help you to do it.
And Father how grateful we are today that You made Your Son an indescribable, supreme, zenith in position, who has no equal. For there is no equal to You. And yet You made Him for the moment in time as a babe so we could relate, so we could understand and so we would know that You understand. We give ourselves to You a fresh and anew in the presence of the knowledge of who Jesus is today. And we thank You for Him in His precious name, amen.