Who Is Jesus?

Today we’re starting a new 5-week teaching series that’s focused on the question Who is Jesus? It’s focused on the question who is Jesus, and what does it mean to follow Jesus today? It’s a great question to explore as we enter the New Year, because we often view the New Year as a fresh start, and Jesus can give us that fresh start. Jesus can give us a much better fresh start than our calendars, because he offers us a fresh start on life. Lamentations 3 says, “His mercies never end! 23 They are new every morning!”He has new mercies for us every morning, which means every morning is a fresh start with Jesus. The more we understand who he is, the more we’ll enjoy his new mercies with a fresh start every morning.

Now the question “Who is Jesus?” is a persistent question that never seems to go away.  It’s a persistent question that every generation, in every culture, eventually asks. Some people say he’s just another religious leader or a good moral teacher. Some people say he’s just another political activist or an inspiring revolutionary. Some people say he’s way more than all those things, because he’s our fully human, fully divine, incarnate Lord, God, and Savior. Who is Jesus is a persistent question that every generation, in every culture, eventually asks, and people give all different kinds of answers to that question, which is why we need to address it. We need to address it because it’s a persistent question, but it requires a personal decision. So let’s turn to Matthew 11 and get into it. If you open the Bible to the middle and keep turning right, you’ll find Matthew. We’ll be in Matthew Ch. 11:1-6 and Ch. 16:13-17. The title of the message for those of you taking notes is Who is Jesus? The big idea of the message is that this is a persistent question, but it requires a personal decision...Who is Jesus is a persistent question, but it requires a personal decision...

            Here’s your context...At this point in history Jesus already gathered his 12 disciples and commissioned them to serve in ministry with him. While this is happening John the Baptist is suffering in prison for speaking out against King Herod’s evil leadership. He stood firm in his faith and didn’t waver on God’s Word, but he’s now suffering in prison facing execution. He hears about Jesus doing great things in other people’s lives, but bad things are happening in his life. He has faith in Jesus, but he’s about to ask the question: who is Jesus? Let’s check it out.

Matthew 11:1-6 states, “When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns. 2 Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples 3 and asked him, ‘Are you the one who is to come...’” John sends his disciples to ask Jesus the question are you the one, meaning are you the Messiah, the Savior, who’s come to save us? He’s asking the question who is Jesus? But what’s interesting is John’s asking that question as a believer, not as a skeptic. He’s asking that question as Jesus’ cousin, and as someone who already believed Jesus was the Messiah! In fact he spent his life preaching and teaching others to follow Jesus as the Messiah. John 1:29-34 says, “John saw Jesus and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about…34 I’ve seen and testified that this is the Son of God!” John is a believer, not a skeptic! So why is he suddenly asking if Jesus is the one?...Why is he suddenly askingthe question who is Jesus?...It’s because he’s starting to doubt...It’s because he’s suffering in prison for speaking against King Herod’s evil leadership, for standing firm in his faith, and his suffering is causing him to doubt if Jesus really is the one...John thought the Messiah would overthrow all evil and oppression. He thought the Messiah would bring blessings to believers and judgment to God’s enemies. But he isn’t being blessed and King Herod isn’t being judged, so he’s doubting.He’s thinking, “If Jesus really is the one? If Jesus really is the Messiah, the Savior, then why am I not being saved? Why am I suffering in prison waiting to be executed? Why is life so hard, if Jesus really is the one?...” He’s a believer, but his suffering is causing him to doubt. In vs. 11 Jesus even says that John’s one of the strongest believers who ever lived, but he still doubted. 

So what we’re learning is even the strongest believers sometimes wrestle with doubt. If you’ve been wrestling with doubt over who Jesus is, or wrestling with doubt over his promises being true for your life, you’re not alone...You’re not alone, because even the strongest believers sometimes wrestle with doubt, like John the Baptist did. Charles Spurgeon states, “Some of us have preached the Word for years, and we’ve been the means of working faith in the lives of others...But we’ve nevertheless been subjects of the most violent doubts, of the very gospel we’ve preached.” The reality is even the strongest believers sometimes wrestle with doubt, like John the Baptist did. But when believers doubt we should treat it like a guest in our home, that’s only visiting for a little while. When you have a guest in your home, they make a little mess of things. They use your bathroom, and sometimes they don’t lift up the seat. Sometimes they leave dirty dishes in the sink, don’t take out the trash, might even sleep over for a few nights. But they eventually leave, and you can put your home back in order again. Just like a guest comes into your home, makes a mess of things, but doesn’t become a permanent resident in your home. Your doubts come into your mind, makes a mess of things, but shouldn’t become a permanent resident in your heart. You can let them be a guest for a little while, but don’t let them stay the night for long. Don’t let your doubts become a permanent resident in your heart. John eventually took his doubt to Jesus, so his doubt wouldn’t become a permanent resident in his heart. Some of you are wrestling with doubt because you’re suffering or facing a difficult situation in life. Some of you are wrestling with doubt because you’re facing unanswered prayers, shattered ministry dreams, haven’t been delivered from a specific sin, or you expected Jesus to give you an easier life, and he hasn’t. Instead of turning away from Jesus when you doubt, turn to Jesus with your doubts, just like John did. John’s doubting, but he’s turning to Jesus with his doubts. He’s asking if Jesus really is the one?

Again vs. 2, “Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples 3 and asked him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” Notice John doesn’t ask, “Are you the one, or should we stop looking?” He asks, “Are you the one, or should we expect someone else?” John knows if Jesus isn’t the Messiah, if Jesus isn’t the Savior, then we’ll have to look for another savior. He knows if Jesus isn’t the one, then we won’t be able to stop looking for another savior. If you don’t look for Jesus to be your Savior, then you’ll try looking for someone or something else to be your savior. What is that someone or something for you?...What is it that you’ve been looking for, that you’ve been hoping will be your savior?...Are you looking for more money to be your savior?...Are you looking for a new career to be your savior?...Are you looking for retirement or a nice vacation to be your savior?...Are you looking for drugs, alcohol, a new product, someone, or something else to be your savior?...If you don’t look for Jesus to be your Savior, you’ll try looking for someone or something else to be your Savior. John asks if we should expect someone else, because he knows if Jesus isn’t the one, then we won’t be able to stop looking for another savior. You’ll eventually turn someone or something else into your savior, but it won’t be anything like the real Savior Jesus.

            Now there’s something else that’s very intriguing to me about this question that John asks. It’s that he doesn’t ask this question in the form of a demand. He doesn’t say, “If you are the one, then get me out of this prison! If you are the one, then get me out of this hardship and make my life better!” He doesn’t say that, and he doesn’t make any demands at all. This is totally different than how the skeptical criminal approached Jesus when he was being crucified next to Jesus. Luke 23:39 states, “Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Jesus: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’” This skeptical criminal is dying on the cross next to Jesus, and he’s hurling insults at Jesus. But he’s also demanding that Jesus prove he’s the Messiah by saving them! He’s basically saying, “If you’re the one, then prove it by saving us! Prove it by getting us out of this hardship and making our lives better!” This is how many people approach Jesus today. They approach him with a set of demands saying, “If you’re the one, then prove it by saving my life. Prove it by saving me from my problems, and giving me the life I want.” People who do this don’t really care about Jesus being the one, they just care about their situation and something being done. But John cares more about Jesus being the one, than about something being done. It’s because he knows if Jesus really is the one, then his future is secure no matter what’s done. For John, knowing Jesus mattered more than changing his circumstances.

Again vs. 3, “John asked him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ 4 Jesus replied, ‘Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor are told the good news, 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.’” Okay so one of the first things I want you to notice here, is that Jesus doesn’t rebuke John for having doubts. He doesn’t say, “How dare you question me! How dare you doubt if I’m really the one! How dare you doubt my plans for your life!” He doesn’t rebuke John for having doubts, instead he’s patient with John, and he’s patient with us. This is exactly the kind of culture we’ve been creating in our church over the past several years. We often talk about how we want City Awakening to be a place for both skeptics and believers to seek truth, find joy, and live with a purpose in our city. We believe that truth, joy, and purpose can all be found in Jesus, but we also realize we sometimes wrestle with those things like John the Baptist did. So we want City Awakening to be a place for both skeptics and believers to wrestle with their doubts, knowing Jesus can handle our doubts. We know Jesus is patient when we're having doubts, just like he was patient when John was having doubts. 

So Jesus doesn’t rebuke John for having doubts, but he also doesn’t ignore John’s doubts. Instead he tells John’s disciples to report to John, what they hear and see. What he’s basically saying is, “If you want to know who I am, then listen to the report about what I’m doing. Listen to the report about what people are hearing and seeing. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised.” It’s all miraculous things only God can do. It’s all miraculous things only the Messiah, the Savior, the one, can do...Hearing this would have been huge for John, because he knew these weren’t just some random miraculous things being reported. They were the fulfillment of specific prophetic claims made by the prophet Isaiah. He knew that 700 years before these events, Isaiah said the Messiah would come, and all these miraculous things would happen. Isaiah 35, “The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy.” Isaiah 65, “He will bring good news to the poor...and heal the brokenhearted.” So the report John is receiving, is that Jesus really is our incarnate God. It’s that Jesus really is our Messiah, our Savior, the one, and we don’t have to keep looking for another. But what about you?...Have you been looking for another?...Have you been looking for someone or something else to be your Savior?...Who or what have you been turning to as your Messiah, as your Savior, as the one?...If Jesus isn’t the one in your life, then you’ll keep looking for another. But if Jesus really is the one, then you don’t have to keep looking for another. It’s a personal decision each of us has to make. Who is Jesus is a generational question, but it requires a personal decision. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 16. 

Matthew 16:13-17 states, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ 14 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15 ‘But you,’ he asked them, ‘who do you say that I am?’ 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ 17 Jesus responded, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah...’” Notice Jesus shifts the question from being general to personal. He shifts the question from being general, “Who do people say that I am?” To being personal, “Who do you say that I am?” It’s because faith in Jesus isn’t something you can inherit from your parents or from other people in your culture. It’s a personal decision you have to make yourself. Who is Jesus is a persistent question in every generation, in every culture, but it requires a personal decision. People today have many different opinions about who Jesus is, just like they had many different opinions back then. Some thought Jesus was just another religious leader like John the Baptist, while others thought he was just another prophet like Elijah or Jeremiah. But the only belief Jesus blessed was Peter’s belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,” not “Blessed are the people.” He said blessed are you. 

The implication is that it doesn’t matter what other people believe about Jesus, it matters what you believe about Jesus. If you want to be blessed by Jesus, you have to make a personal decision to believe and trust Jesus as your Messiah, as your Savior, as the one. You have to make a personal decision to believe and trust Jesus, even when you’re living in the trenches. You have to make a personal decision, sometimes an hourly decision, to believe and trust Jesus, even when life isn’t going as you planned, you’re facing hardships, trapped in the prison of your mind that’s being flooded with doubts. When you believe and trust that Jesus really is the one, that’s when the blessings come, including the blessings of knowing you’ll always make it through any hardships that come. It’s because when you know that Jesus really is the one, then you know your future is secure no matter what’s done. You know he died on the cross for your sins, but he also rose again to prove he really is the one, and that your future is eternally secure no matter what’s done.

The big idea of the message is that this is a persistent question, but it requires a personal decision...Who is Jesus is a persistent question, but it requires a personal decision...Every generation, in every culture, eventually asks this question, but Jesus eventually turns it into a personal question. He eventually asks, “Who do you say that I am?” As we go through this series we’ll continue exploring that question, to help grow your personal belief and trust in Jesus as your Messiah, as your Savior. Because if Jesus really is the one, then it means he’s more than just another life coach or therapist. It means he’s a real living Messiah, a real living Savior, who can guide your life daily and secure your future for eternity. But the question is, will you believe and trust him as your Messiah, as your Savior, in both the blessings and the hardships of life?...Will you believe and trust him as your Messiah, as your Savior, as the one, or keep looking for another?