Who Is Jesus?
My friends and I come out witnessing and frequently we ask people, “Do you know Jesus?” Depending on how they respond, sometimes we follow up with, “Does Jesus know you?” I think these are both great questions. I was telling my brother about this a few weeks ago and he agreed that do you know Jesus is a good question, but he prefers to ask people, “Who is Jesus?”
Then my brother pointed out that you can usually tell pretty quickly what people believe by how they answer this simple, but very important question. Then recently my friend John from Tennessee was witnessing at a university in Nashville and while he was open-air preaching, he had a sign next to him that says, “Who is Jesus?”
So I thought this is a great question to base a message off of – who is Jesus? How do you answer this question? Over the years of street witnessing, I’ve heard people say that Jesus was a good person and that He gave us good statements to live by. Some say that He was a good teacher. But many of these people don’t believe Jesus is the Savior of mankind and the only one at that.
Is Jesus Your Lord And Savior?
A couple of weeks ago I was open-air preaching at Missouri State University and I was lifting up the name of Jesus, the name above every other name and a student yelled “Jesus isn’t real.” Yes, when you ask the question, who is Jesus, you get a lot of different answers. But thankfully some people get it right and they gladly say that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Is He yours?
Who is Jesus is a great question and Jesus asked a similar question when He walked this earth 2,000 years ago. In Matthew 16:13 it says: When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? That’s right, tonight I’m asking who is Jesus and when the Lord walked this earth, He asked His disciples who did people say that He was? They answered: Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets (Matthew 6:14). So the people that saw the miracles that Jesus performed, thought that He was Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other Old Testament prophets come back alive.
But then Jesus asked His own disciples who they thought He was. Matthew 16:15 states: He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Whom do ye say that I am? Who is Jesus is the question. Peter answers in Matthew 16:16: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus follows up with these words in Matthew 16:17: And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
Oh folks, this is the question: Who is Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is? Do you know the Lord? You see, if you are not a follower of Jesus, then your eyes are still blinded. In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Just like the people who saw Jesus when He walked this earth, but were not His disciples, said that Jesus was a prophet. In other words, He was a good man. Their eyes were blinded. Isaiah 6:9 describes them perfectly: And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
My friends and I come out here and share the Gospel with you because salvation is of the Lord (Psalm 3:8). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). If God has never convicted you over your sins and revealed His Holiness to you, then you will not understand who Jesus is. You will not believe the Gospel because God convicts and converts lost souls through the power of the Holy Spirit. You cannot save yourself. You cannot force salvation on yourself nor on anyone else.
Free Gift From God
It is the free gift from God, but you must receive it. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (the devil), the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:1-10). Salvation is a free gift from God that you must receive, but you cannot receive it unless God opens your blinded eyes. Unless God opens your ears.
Has God Opened Your Heart?
Unless God opens your heart – just like He did Lydia’s. Her conversion is recorded in Acts 16:14: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Unless God unhardens your hard heart, unless He takes away your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), you are lost and on the broad road to destruction. Oh, we plead with you tonight to recognize that you are NOT a good person. If we ask you if you are a good person, most of you will say that you are. But are you really?
Short Test
Here’s a short test to see if you are really a good person or not. Have you ever told a lie? Of course you have. How many lies have you told in your lifetime? If you lie, that makes you a liar. Have you ever stolen anything, even if it was something small like a pen or paperclip or maybe an answer on a test? Yes, we’ve all stolen something at one time or another. If you steal something, that makes you a thief.
Have you ever lusted or coveted someone or something? Yes, we’ve all committed this sin too. Jesus says that if you look at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery with her already in your heart (Matthew 5:27-28). These are just a few of the 10 Commandments. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but we both know that all of us have failed this test. We’ve all lied, stolen and lusted or coveted something. You are guilty. I am guilty. My friends are guilty.
God is so Holy and righteous that He cannot look upon sin in His glory. What will you do with your sins on Judgment Day? And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). You had a birth date and you will have a death date. What will you do with your sins when you stand before God on that great and terrible day of the Lord? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).
Does Your Guilt Remain Upon You?
If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, then the guilt of your sin remains upon you. But you don’t have to foolishly die in your sins and go to Hell. Turn to Christ and live. Jesus walked this earth 2,000 years ago and He did what you and I could not do. He never sinned! Not one time. Jesus never lied, lusted, coveted or stole anything. Yet He willingly went to the cruel cross in the place of guilty sinners. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many. As Jesus hung on the cross after being beaten unmercifully with the cruel Roman whip, God poured His anger, His wrath over sin out upon His own precious Son. Folks, that’s how much God hates sin! That also shows you how righteous God is. He cannot tolerate sin. So your sins have to be punished one way or the other.
Are You One Of His?
Jesus suffered, bled and died upon the cross. He was buried and He rose victoriously from the grave three days later. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. Salvation is for all who repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Are you one of His?
Who is Jesus? You most definitely need to figure this out before you die. You will die one day. Ten out of then people die. It is the ultimate statistic. You cannot cheat death. Who is Jesus? Is He your Lord and Savior? Or will He be your Judge on Judgement Day? It’s one or the other. There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. You are either saved or lost. You are Heaven bound or Hell bound. Which is it tonight? One last time I plead with you, if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, turn to Christ and live.
