“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16 ESV
Who is Jesus?
He is Creator, Redeemer, & Sustainer of all things
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20 ESV
Jesus is God’s unique & eternal Son (Matthew 17:5)
He is also God, Lord, Messiah, & King
Jesus is the Savior of the whole world
“…we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10 ESV
He is saves us from…
- The power of sin (Hebrews 9:26)
- The fear of death (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
- The works of the evil one (1 John 3:8)
Jesus is what God is like (John 14:9)
Jesus is how God the Father feels about you (John 3:16, 1 John 3:1)
We tend to think about or explain Jesus in formal & legal terms, but Jesus seems fonder of Relational and Familial terms
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 ESV
“He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. He says to God, “I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their meeting.” He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.” He brews 2:11-13 GNT
No one who meets and encounters the real Jesus stays the same.
“Jesus went on into Jericho and was passing through. There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today.” Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy. All the people who saw it started grumbling, “This man has gone as a guest to the home of a sinner!” Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much.” Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man, also, is a descendant of Abraham. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10 GNT