I Said Yes - Part 1 - Who is this Jesus?
Part 1 one the 'I Said Yes' course looks at "Who is this Jesus?" Discover for yourself who Jesus is, what He did and who He claims to be! Then you can make up your own mind! (You might find it useful to print this page and then you can answer the questions in the spaces provided.)
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The Book of John, Chapter Fourteen Verse Six
The Lowdown
God thinks that you are awesome and He wants you to be in relationship with Him.
So how can this happen and what does it mean to you?
Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God. But how can we know that this is true?
For a start, there is plenty of historical evidence. Our main source of information about Jesus is of course from the Bible. It was written over a period of approximately 1500 years by over 40 different authors.
There is also a large amount of evidence from outside the Bible that Jesus existed. Many Roman and Jewish historians (e.g. Josephus) refer to Jesus in their writings because of the effect He had on history. In fact there is more evidence to suggest Jesus existed than there is for Rome's most famous of emperors - Julius Caesar.
What does the Bible tell us about Jesus?
Read: Luke 1:26-38
Question: According to the angel in this passage - who is Jesus?
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(Other scriptures to read: Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:18-23)
So if Jesus is who the Bible says He is, how can He understand what it is like for us to be human? Look at some what the Bible says (you can look the verses up for yourself, later):
Matthew 13:55 - He was the son of a carpenter - He knew hard work!
Matthew 13:55- 56 - He had brothers and sisters - He knew family!
Luke 10:38-42 - He had friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus - He knew companionship!
John 11:32-36 - He cried when He heard His friend was dead - He knew sorrow!
Matthew 4:1-11 - He felt hunger and was tempted - He knew crisis!
Matthew 26:36-46 - He prayed to be spared the cross - He knew fear!
Matthew 26:47-50 - He was betrayed by friends - He knew loneliness and rejection!
Matthew 27:45-50 - He was cut off from God - He knew separation from God!
It's incredible that Jesus actually fulfilled all 330 Old Testament prophecies about Himself. In fact 29 were fulfilled on the day that He died. The Bible also tells us that when He rose from the dead, over 500 people on 11 different occasions actually came into contact with Him.
What did Jesus say about Himself?
Check out the following verses from the Gospel of John to see who Jesus said He was:
"I am the resurrection and the life..." John 11:25
He gives eternal life.
"I am the light of the world..." John 8:12
He is the only one who can show the way to God.
"I am the bread of life..." John 6:35
He sustains us.
"I and the Father are one..." John 10:30
He is God.
"I am the way..." John 14:6
He is the only way to receive eternal life.
Compare John 1:1-5 and Genesis 1:3
Question: Why do you think John describes Jesus as the 'Word'?
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Because Jesus claimed to be God He was arrested, put on trial and crucified. At one point - early in His ministry, the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus, but He said to them:
"I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these", replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
John 10:32-33
Jesus didn't deny this!
What did Jesus do?
Question: Look at these Scriptures and note down some of the things Jesus did:
Matthew 7:28-29
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Matthew 8:16
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Matthew 14:13-21
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Luke 5:20-26
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John 2:7-10
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John 11:43-44
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Is Jesus who He says He is?
A very good question! Here are the options:
1. He was a Liar!
He was wrong and knew that He was wrong, meaning that He was an egomaniac or a conman.
But if Jesus was a liar, then He was also a hypocrite because He went around telling people to be honest. He would also have been a fool, because He was crucified for saying who He said He was. Surely if Jesus was just a liar then He would have spoken the truth at the end to save His own neck!
2. He was a Lunatic!
He could have been wrong, but genuinely didn't know it, meaning that He was an absolute lunatic!
But if Jesus was a lunatic, why is it that His teaching has had such an incredible effect on the entire world? Surely the ramblings of a lunatic or someone suffering from a mental delusion could not change the course of history!
3. He is Lord!
So if it is inconceivable that Jesus would continue to lie, even as he is sentenced to death on a cross, and that it seems ridiculous that the thoughts of a madman should impact history in such a way - then surely He is who He says He is!
CS Lewis, the author of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' put it like this:
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said, wouldn't be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. But don't let's come up with any patronising nonsense about Him being a great human teacher. He hasn't left that open to us. He didn't intend to."
C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity
Question: Can you think of any other reasons why Jesus must be who He says He is?
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His influence
It has been said that the famous philosophers, Socrates and Aristotle each taught for 40 years, and Plato for 50 years, but Jesus only taught for 3. Yet His influence far surpasses their combined 130 years of teaching.
He painted no pictures - yet the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci received their motivation from Him.
He wrote no poetry - yet Dante and Milton were inspired by Him.
He composed no music - yet Hayden, Handel, Beethoven and Bach reached their highest perfection in hymns, symphonies and oratorios composed in His honour.
He is the most famous human being that ever lived. So who is this Jesus?
He is simply the best! He is the Lord of history and the Son of God.
Make it Count
This section is all up to you! If you want to take what you have learnt and apply it to your life then read on:
You've read the evidence, so now it’s your turn! Who do you think Jesus is? Write it down here.
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You may still have questions about Jesus. You can write them down in the notes section over the page. During the next 11 sections we hope to help answer those questions.
Order your copy of the I SAID YES course from Hope City Shop and complete all 12 sections or speak to your Congregation Pastor today!
"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him." Napoleon I