Smyrna Christian Church -- Lee Delbridge, Minister
910 Concord Road SE -- Smyrna, Georgia 30080 -- 770.435.1723
www.SmyrnaChristianChurch.org
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The Most Important Question Ever Asked
Part I
Let's first look at a brief review of what some others think about Jesus.
- The Mormons say he is the brother of Lucifer, one of many gods.
- The Jehovah's Witnesses say He is Michael the Archangel.
- The movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" presented Him as a deluded soul wrestling with eternal demons, sexual temptations and fantasies.
- The Broadway stage play "Jesus Christ Superstar" presents a woman in love with him who sings over and over "He's just a man, He's just a man."
- There is a new book (The Jesus Mysteries), which says that Jesus is just a myth, that He really never lived.
- "The Jesus Seminar" which is supposedly a group of New Testament scholars who met several times and reported that Jesus made only 15 of the hundreds of statements attributed to Him in the Bible. In other words they made up a composite of what they believe Jesus was like and then disregarded everything that did not fit their preconceived notion of who He was. This group did an excellent job of public relations and is accepted as the authority on Jesus by today's media.
- Some say that Jesus was one of the great religious leaders in history.
- Some say Jesus was a good man -- one of the best who ever lived.
Let's look at a few of the claims He made for Himself.
- THE "I AM" CLAIMS OF JESUS
- When Moses asked God about who sent him (Moses) to Egypt, God gave Himself a name that all Jews came to accept as a name for God -- the name "I AM."
- Exodus 3:13-14 - Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
- Jesus made the following statements when He was on earth
- John 8:24 - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am (He), you will die in your sins."
- Notice in the NASB that the word "He" is in italics which means it was not in the original. Jesus really said "Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins."
- For the people He was talking to this was a direct claim to being God!
- In the same chapter as the Jews continue to argue with Jesus He makes the following statement
- John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
- There is no question about it: Jesus claimed to be God. What do you think. Do you think He was God?
- THE "MESSIANIC" CLAIMS OF JESUS
- In a conversation with the woman at a well in Samaria we have the following exchange
- John 4:25-26 - The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
- The Jews and the Samaritans had been looking for the coming of the Messiah for hundreds of years and now Jesus claims to be that Messiah
- When Jesus was on trial for His life He claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God
- Mark 14:61-62 - But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? "And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."
- THE "AUTHORITY" CLAIMS OF JESUS
- In healing the paralytic let down on a pallet through the roof of a house in front of Jesus, Jesus claimed publicly to have the authority on earth to forgive sins. Read the whole story in Mark 2:5-12.
- Mark 2:5, 10-11 - And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."...."But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home."
- Just before giving His disciples the Great Commission, Jesus claimed to have all authority in heaven and on earth
- Matthew 28:18 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah (the Christ) that had been promised to the Jews by the inspired prophets for hundreds of years. Jesus claimed to have power to forgive sins on earth. If fact, He claimed to have all authority in heaven and on earth. These claims are either true or false. If they are false, you can forget it and go on with your life. If they are true, then He is God and has the right to be the authority in your life. Is Jesus your authority? Is He the Lord of your life? If not, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior today.
© 2000 Lee Delbridge
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