Do You Know My Jesus?

DO YOU KNOW MY JESUS?

Pastor Bruce Ball

CrossRoads Church

Today, I want to talk to you about Jesus Christ.  When He was on the cross, at the last moment of his earthly life, he yelled out, “It is finished!”  Actually, Jesus did not say, “It is finished.”  He said, “Tetelestai!” 

That is a Greek word, and it doesn’t just mean, “It is finished.”  It also means, “It is completed”, “it is accepted”, and “the debt is paid in full”.  It is not a cry of defeat, but a shout of absolute victory!   

In those days, when a servant finished the task given to him, he would report back to the master and say, “It is completed.”  And the master would then tell the servant, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  As Jesus finished the task He was sent to accomplish, He told His heavenly Father that it was completed. 

When the Israelite people would bring their sacrificial offerings to the priest, the priest would examine it and then say, “It is accepted!”  As Jesus became the final and perfect offering for our sins, His heavenly Father said, “It is accepted!” 

When someone finishes paying off a debt, the one who is paid will say, “It is paid in full!”  When God looks at our sin today, He says, “Paid in full” because of what Jesus did for us on that cross. 

So, no matter what you have heard about Jesus in church or from other people please keep in mind that God’s story is not a ‘difficult-to-understand’ story; but a very ‘easy-to-understand’ story.  The basics of the story is so simple that even a child can fully understand.

Here it is in a nutshell.   

GENESIS 1:1 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

The original word used for “God” was “Elohim.”  That word actually meant, “Gods”, in the plural.  It referred to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  All three were here in the beginning, and all three will be here throughout eternity.

After God created the world and everything in it, He created man.  He created man to fellowship with God.  But with fellowship, comes trust and accountability.  Man showed he could not be trusted and could not live up to any Godly accountability. 

So, man focused his attention on what he wanted and turned his back on what he knew God wanted.  He ate the fruit God said for him not to eat.  And then he found out what 'consequences' were. 

Man was expelled from the Garden of Eden; the perfect earthly paradise made especially for man.  And as he left God’s perfect and protected place, he stepped out into the world; a place dominated by Satan:  A place of chaos and brutality; stark existence with no available hope and all types of danger.

And from that moment until now, man has chosen to live in that world, spending his life pursuing his own desires and keeping God out of his life.  And man has made up all kinds of stories and untruths to justify his stubborn and sinful feelings.  But what has God been doing during these many years?  God has continued to love us so much that He pursued us; trying to get us to turn back towards Him. 

I wonder; if someone had turned their back on us for a long time, and had done everything in their power to hate us and deny our existence, would we still love them and pursue them?  Aren’t we glad that God doesn’t treat us the way we treat Him?

God finally made a decision.  He knew that to forgive sin required a blood sacrifice.  This was because sin warrants death, and blood signifies death.  We must die to our sin in order to live again in Christ. 

So God sent His Son to walk among men.

 JOHN 3:16 

‘For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whosoever would trust in Him will not die but live forever.’

He came, not to judge us for our sin, but to save us from our sin.  And the only way we can be saved is through His blood that He shed on the cross for us.  And because Jesus was willing to be that sacrificial Lamb, He became the most important person to have ever lived on this earth.

Now, considering how important He is, if you were given the opportunity to introduce Him to the world, what would say?  How would you go about doing that?  I think if I were given that opportunity, I would do it like this. 

I would get on the biggest stage I could find, and have every television station in the world filming it.  I would stand there in front of the microphone and I would say: 

“Ladies and gentlemen of the world, it is my highest honor to introduce someone whom we all know.  His name is written in the center of every heart and He has so many accomplishments it would take all of eternity just to list them. 

He has done the impossible, time after time after time.  He comes to us from a lowly manger in Bethlehem by way of a royal throne in Heaven.  His mother is still mentioned in churches around the globe and His father is the author of a book that has been on the best-seller list since the beginning of time itself. 

“He has the distinction of hosting the world’s largest picnic, having fed over 5,000 people with just two fish and five loaves of bread, and He managed to have enough leftovers to feed another group even larger.  He has walked on water and turned water into wine – all without any special effects or tricks.  Nobody today has ever seen Him, but everybody in the world knows exactly what He feels like. 

“Before there was any earthly authority, this man was hailed as the Lord of lords and King of kings.  He is the Creator of the Universe.  He is the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End.  He is the Bright and Morning Star, the Rose of Sharon and the Ruler over all that He created.  Everything is held together in Him, by Him, and for Him.  The sound of His voice is in every particle of every thing. 

“So get up on your feet, raise your hands, and welcome the man who needs no introduction; the Savior of mankind – Jesus, the Christ!” 

That is how I would do it.  I would do it that way because we need to follow Him instead of this sinful hell-bound world we live in!  We need to take our focus off what we want and put it back on what He wants.  It doesn’t matter what we think, it only matters what He knows!  And I would do it that way because it is not about me, but all about Him!

But how can we follow someone we do not know?  How can we adore someone unless we understand who He is and what He means to us?  Let me take a moment or two and give you some information that might help you understand just who He is.

As you look at Jesus, you will see a life that can never be copied, a righteousness that can never be tarnished, a peace that can never be taken away, and a rest that can never be disturbed. 

Jesus is the joy that cannot be disappointed, and the glory that can never be clouded.  He is the eternal light that shall never be darkened and perfection that cannot be marred.  There is no need He cannot meet, no hurt He cannot heal, and no soul He cannot love. 

The Bible says Jesus is the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, the King of righteousness, and the King of the Ages.  That is what my Bible says about my Jesus! 

It goes on to say He is the King of Heaven, and the King of Glory.  He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  That is my King.  I wonder … do you know Him today, or do you just know about Him? 

My King has a love that knows no limits.  My King is eternally strong and steadfast.  He is full of grace and filled with Heavenly power.  He’s merciful and forgiving.  He is absolute love, but He is also just.

My King, Jesus the Christ, is the greatest man who ever walked on this planet.  He is God’s only begotten Son.  He is mankind’s Savior and the very center of civilization.

He is unequaled in all He does; He supplies strength for the weak, and forgiveness for the wicked.  He is always available and has never rejected a plea for salvation, and He is Jehovah Jirah, the Great Provider.  He defends the weak and delivers the helpless.

He blesses those who have scorned Him.  He is the lifter to the downtrodden.  He came as a loving servant and not as a hateful Master.  My King is knowledge and wisdom, He is the Prince of Peace, He is the path of deliverance, and the roadway to Heaven.  That’s my King!

I wish I could introduce Him in all His glory today, but the words I know do are not worthy to do that.  I wish I could describe Him today, but my words are insufficient. 

Jesus is my personal King.  He knows me by name.  As much as I try and describe Him, He is so great, He remains indescribable.  To man, He is incomprehensible.  He is invincible and irresistible.  You cannot get Him out of your mind.  You cannot outlive Him and you cannot live without Him. 

The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.  Pilate couldn’t find fault in Him and Herod couldn’t kill Him.  Death couldn’t handle Him and the ground had no power to hold Him. 

He is the everlasting Counselor, Savior, Father, Redeemer, and Lover of my soul.  He is the Lion of Judah and the healer of my wounds.  He is my shield, my comforter, and He is the only solid rock on which I will ever stand.  

None of these are just nicknames His mommy gave Him while she was dressing Him for temple-time as a child.  These are actually words and titles that if we really knew what they meant, we would shudder, fall down on our knees, and begin to cry out for forgiveness! 

If we knew all that He is, we would see how little we are without Him!  It would cause us to make decisions we have always tried to avoid.  Decisions like what we really are willing to do with Jesus. 

Each of us must make that decision, and by trying to avoid it and not make it – we have already made it.  We either fully accept Him, or we fully reject Him.  There is no grey area when it comes to Jesus.  We give Him all, or we have given Him none.  How much of yourself have you given or to Him?  Remember, it is either all or it’s nothing.

 I JOHN 2:15 warns us; 

‘A person who will have nothing to do with the Son and turns against Him does not even know the Father.  But the one who confesses Jesus also has the Father.’ 

But if you chose to follow Him; I mean really follow after Him; you get to follow the One who is the fulfillment to hundreds of prophecies and the main figure in most conversations throughout history. 

What are you, personally, willing to do with Jesus?  Are you willing to put your leadership aside and let Him be the Guiding Light in you?  How much of yourself are you willing to devote to Him?  I think to answer that; we must first understand what we think about Him.  Who is He to us?  And is He really that important to us? 

No matter how hard you try, you are not allowed to be neutral when it comes to Jesus.  You are on one side of the fence or the other, but you will never be able to straddle the fence on this one.  If you don’t really know if He changes lives or not, then I would say you don’t really know Him, because my Jesus is all about changing lives.  

He is the most important man to have ever lived, and mankind tries to relegate Him down to nothing more than “a good man.” 

PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11 tells us, 

‘When the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in Heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him.  And every tongue will say that Jesus Christ is the Lord.’

THAT’S MY KING!  HALLELUJAH! 

I WONDER - DO YOU HONESTLY KNOW HIM TODAY?

I said it is all about Him, and not about us.  I think we must again ask ourselves “What are we willing to do with Jesus?” 

There are some who will hear that and immediately close their ears to it.  Then some will begin to recount all the “things” they have done in their Christian “career.” 

I pray there will also be many who hear this message and find that it echoes down deep in their souls, and causes them to change their lives – every day for the rest of their lives. 

He is the central figure in the bestselling book of all time.  He claims to be the highway to holiness and the gateway to glory.  His love never changes and His mercy is permanent.  He has guaranteed us that if we choose to believe and trust in Him, we will find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 

He has more titles than a library has books, and all the books in the world could not hold His many deeds.  His Word claims that nobody comes to the Father except through Him as their Savior.  Is that the truth or is that an outrageous exaggeration?  You have to make that decision for yourself.  And you should be very, very careful as you do, because your eternal soul is riding on your answer. 

If you aren’t sure and you have questions about Jesus, why aren’t you asking them?  And if you are a believer in Jesus, why aren’t you doing more for Him?  Why aren’t you doing what He said to do, and why aren’t you sharing His story more?  Why would we claim to believe in somebody whom we are not willing to try and be like?  That is like saying you are a fisherman but refusing to go out and buy a rod and reel.  You either are, or you aren’t – in either scenario. 

Being a Christian is much like shooting a shotgun.  You either shoot it or you don’t.  There is no kind of shooting it.  It is like having a baby.  You are either pregnant or you aren’t.  There is no sort of being pregnant and there is no kind of being a Christian or sort of being a Christian.  You either are or you aren’t! 

Charles Blondin was the most famous tightrope walker in history.  He lived in the early 1900’s.  He was known for walking across Niagara Falls, 160 feet above the water, on a rope that stretched for nearly 2 miles.  

He was also famous for his theatrics.  He walked across that rope on stilts and he walked across it blindfolded.  He even walked across carrying a chair, only to sit down half way across, make an omelet, and eat it before finishing his walk. 

But perhaps the most astounding feat came when he pushed an empty wheelbarrow across, and then returned with it.  Everyone cheered, and he asked one question.  He asked how many in the crowd believed he could do it again, but with a person in the wheelbarrow.  The crowed broke out in loud cheers, but grew deathly quiet when Mr. Blondin asked if there were any volunteers. 

It seems they believed, but not enough for them to do it.  That is like many Christians today:  They believe in Jesus, but not enough to change their lives to be like Him; and certainly not enough to 'go and do' as Jesus commanded.  They seem to be content with keeping Jesus their own little secret.  They go to church on Sunday, and then as they leave, they fail to take Jesus with them.  Seems some people who profess Christ do so while wanting absolutely no personal involvement with Him.  They want to be Christians, but not enough to live like one.

Mr. Blondin saw the crowd grow quiet.  The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity.  And then one man came forward to get in the wheelbarrow.  Mr. Blondin  then pushed the wheelbarrow back over the falls, and returned with the man safe and sound still inside. 

In regards to Jesus Christ, where are you this morning?  Are you in the crowd, standing like you don't want to be noticed, hoping the subject will quickly change - or are you walking towards the wheelbarrow?  Are you trying to “be like” Jesus, or are you trying your best to distance yourself from Him when you are around others?  What are you really committed to:  Jesus Christ or your own worldly comfort? 

Peter was in the boat one dark and stormy night.  Waves were crashing all around the boat and the only light they had was when lightning flashed.  And then it was only for one brief second before it got dark again. 

And then he saw somebody out there walking on the water.  I think we can all imagine just how scared he might have been.  Peter may have talked too much and may have sometimes spoken aimlessly, but he had faith.  Peter lived by faith. 

 Peter called out and said, “Christ if that is You, tell me to come to You.”  Jesus answered back over the noise of the storm and simply said, “Come!”  And what did Peter do?  He did something most of us would never have the courage to do in the same situation; he stepped out of the boat and started walking to Jesus. 

Peter was committed.  He stepped out in faith, knowing he could have been putting himself in harm’s way.  Do we step out in faith, not knowing where to put our foot down next?  Do we truly trust in Jesus enough to close our eyes and begin walking towards Him?  Or do we give a measure of faith; giving the convenient amount that will never put us at any risk?

If you are not willing to risk anything for Jesus, you aren’t worthy of walking anywhere with Jesus!  We are so afraid of somebody persecuting us by saying something rude, that we end up being rude to the only One who really matters!  I don’t want to upset anyone, but if I have to make a choice, I would rather upset the person down the street from me than the Savior in Heaven who is waiting for me.

As we go before our Lord this morning, I want you to decide how committed you really are to Jesus Christ.  Do you work for Him, or do you just talk about Him?  Is He your King?  Is He your Lord?  Is He your Provider?  Do you fully trust Him?

Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “trust” as: 

·  to place full confidence in

·  to fully depend upon

·  to commit one’s care to

·  to rely on the truth and accuracy involved.’

JOHN 3:15 tells us,

‘Whoever puts his trust in Jesus will have life that will last forever.’

As you read that, understand that it may be simply stated, but it has all the depth of meaning in the Universe.

As we go into our time of invitation, I want to ask you: 

1.     Do you know Jesus today?  I mean really know Him?

2.     And if you do, what are you willing to do with Him in your life today?

3.     Are you willing to finally put your trust in Him today?

There is a big difference between knowing someone and just knowing about someone.  We all know about President Obama, but nobody in this church knows him. 

I wonder; do you know my Jesus today?  If you don’t … you can.  All you have to do is walk up here and turn your life over to Him.  The simplest and most powerful act you will have ever have to do on this earth.  Come up here and let me go to His heavenly Throne with you – as you invite Him into your heart!  And all we have to do is realize it just isn't about us after all.  It is all about Him in us.

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