Secrets Unsealed

What Jesus Said

Stephen Bohr

1. The Word of God

2. The Unconditional Love of God

3. How Jesus Understood His Self Identity

4. Good and Evil

5. Moses and Jesus

6. Overcoming Life’s Mistakes

7. How to Pray

8. Family Values

9. Relief From Stress

10. History’s Greatest Hoax

11. Holy Spirit Baptism

12. Life and Death

13. Peace in the Middle East

14. The Rapture of the Saints

15. The Final Judgment

16. The End of Evil

17. The Secrets of Health and Wealth

18. The Return of Elijah

19. Religion and Politics

20. The Abomination of Desolation

21. The Unpardonable Sin

22. Prophets and Psychics

Tonight we have a very, very important subject that we're going to study.

We're going to deal with how Jesus understood his self-identity.

And I'd like to begin by reading a passage that we find in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 8 and verses 23 to 27.

This is speaking about the experience that Jesus had when he was in a boat.

If you'll remember, the disciples were struggling to keep the water out of the boat in a storm.

Now when he got into a boat, His disciples followed him.

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep.

Then his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we are perishing.

But he said to them, why are you fearful O you of little faith?

Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm.

And the men marveled, saying, Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

Actually, this question, who is this man, was asked on repeated occasions during the ministry of Jesus.

In fact, once the Lord Jesus himself asked that question, Who are men saying that I am?

The disciples said, well, some say that you're Elijah, others say Jeremiah, 1 of the prophets.

Then Jesus said, and who do you say that I am?

And of course, Peter said, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Time and again, throughout the ministry of Jesus, this crucial and critical question was asked.

Now the answer that has been given throughout the centuries as well as in the days of Jesus has been varied.

Some people believe that the Lord Jesus was simply a great prophet.

Other individuals believe that he was a great faith healer, and of course, he healed the diseases of many.

Still others believed that he was the greatest moral teacher that has ever existed on planet Earth.

And even the Pharisees believed that Jesus was demon possessed and he was deranged mentally.

And Albert Schweitzer, very well known probably by most of us, believed that Jesus was a deluded fanatic, even though he believed that Jesus was a great moral teacher, that Jesus did many wonderful things, He believed that Jesus believed that the kingdom was going to come through his work, and the kingdom never came.

And so, Jesus was a deluded fanatic, according to Schweitzer.

The question is, according to the Bible, who is Jesus?

Now there are 3 aspects of Jesus that we find in the Gospels.

Number 1, we have a lot of material on who he is.

And then we have a good amount of material on what Jesus did, his works.

And then there is another considerable portion of material that has to do with what Jesus said, what Jesus taught.

Now what Jesus taught and what Jesus did are based on who Jesus is and so it's vital that we understand in our lecture tonight exactly who Jesus was.

Now, we're going to study tonight 10 great facts about Jesus.

And we're gonna gather this material mostly from the Gospels.

We'll make a few references to other Bible verses, but we want to see what the Bible, what the Gospels particularly have to say about who Jesus is, what he taught, what he believed, and what he did.

Our first great fact is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 1.

If you'll turn with me there, John, chapter 1, and we want to read verses 1 to 3.

This is a passage very well known probably by most of us and it says there, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.

The first great fact that we want to notice is that according to the New Testament, according to the Gospels, Jesus Christ is God, and He was already in the beginning.

Notice that it doesn't say in the beginning became the word.

In other words, He already existed in the beginning.

In other words, our first great fact is that Jesus pre- existed everything in the universe because he is eternal God.

Go with me also to John chapter 17, John chapter 17 and let's listen to the words of Jesus himself.

John chapter 17 and verse 5 and here Jesus is praying to his father and he's praying particularly for his disciples and he says in this high priestly prayer the following, and now O Father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was.

So notice that Jesus existed before the world was.

Jesus was in the beginning and Jesus is God.

Now, I'm going to make reference to some verses from the New Testament that we're not going to read, but you can just follow along in the list of texts that you've received.

For example, in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, the angel says that 1 of the names of Jesus is going to be Emmanuel.

Now, do you know what the name Emmanuel means?

And I know that there's 1 particular individual here who has a daughter whose name is Emmanuel, the feminine.

In other words when Jesus came to this earth he was God with us.

Go with me also to John chapter 8 and I would like to read verse 58.

We're still speaking about the first great fact and that is that Jesus Christ is fully, totally, completely, in every sense, eternal God.

Here Jesus is going to share some very surprising news with the Jewish listeners that are hearing what he has to say.

Verse 58 of John 8, Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

Now immediately we ask the question, did Jesus not know proper grammar?

Didn't he know that you're supposed to say, before Abraham was, I was?

You just don't say, before Abraham was, I am.

Well, the fact is that Jesus was trying to make a point.

And that is that He is the great I Am who led Israel in the Old Testament.

In fact, he was the I Am who was in the burning bush.

Go with me back to Exodus chapter 3 and verse 14.

This is the experience of the burning bush.

And here's where we need to recognize that both the Old and the New Testament testify to Jesus.

You see, if you didn't have the Old Testament, you would say, man that's kind of strange.

But when you go to the source of the name I am you know why Jesus used it.

Now notice Exodus chapter 3 and verse 14 when Moses says to God when I go to Israel what name should I tell them you have And here's the answer.

And he said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you.

And of course, the name I Am indicates an eternal present existence.

You see in the sight of God there is no past, there is no future, there is an eternal present in the mind of God.

Jesus identifies himself as the great I am, as the God who was in the burning bush.

In fact, the Jews understood very well what Jesus was trying to say because immediately afterwards in verse 59 of John 8, They picked up stones to throw at him because they recognized that he was declaring himself to be God.

So our first great fact, very important fact for what we're going to study and understand tonight is that Jesus was, is, and forever will be everlasting, eternal God.

Now the second fact that we want to remember is that Jesus was the active agent in the creation of this world.

He was the 1 who actively implemented the creation plan of this world.

Let's go back to a text that we've already read, John chapter 1 and verses 1 through 3.

And particularly we're interested in verse 3.

It says there, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And without him Nothing was made that was made.

How many things were created through Jesus?

Part 1 of 22

3. How Jesus Understood His Self Identity