Who is this Man called Jesus? People have been asking that question ever since He walked out of the carpenter shop about two thousand years ago. Jesus came to reveal to us who God is: a God who loved us enough to have His own Son crucified in order to pay our sin-debt in full. All the things that are true of Jesus are true of God–there is no one like Him! For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch
well I want to answer one question who
is this man called Jesus people been
asking that question ever since he
walked out of the carpenter’s shop about
two thousand years ago asking that
question people hate him are they loving
they ignore him or they’ll follow him to
their death as something about this man
who is this man called Jesus and I think
about people who follow him
have they been growing for 2,000 years
millions of people all over the world
but there he was born in that simple
little town of Bethlehem who is this man
Jesus who was a carpenter who could
absolutely shocked the world and 2,000
years later be the most important person
who’s ever walked on the face of this
earth well Jesus said to his disciples
who do men say that I am so I want you
to turn to the sixteenth chapter of
Matthew and just look at the 13th 14th
15th and 16th verses of Matthew chapter
16 the scripture says now when Jesus
came into the district of Caesarea
Philippi he was asking his disciples who
do people say that the son of man is and
they said some say John the Baptist and
others Elijah but still of us Jeremiah
or one of the prophets and he said to
them but who do you say that I am wonder
what you would have said in those days
who do you say that I am and then Simon
Peter and said you are the Christ the
Messiah the one we’ve looked for the
Messiah the son of the Living God so
with that in mind let’s think about it
for a moment
we celebrate his birth and call it
Christmas we worship and bow down and
called him Lord and we pray in his name
and call him Jesus
so this carpenter is no longer just the
carpenter he’s become the most awesome
person the world has ever known ever
we’ll know and so to answer the question
who is he well the Bible says he’s the
Christ that is he is the Messiah we know
him as the Son of God and the savior of
the world we know him as the reigning
Lord we know him as the ruling judge and
the returning king so we know I’m in
minute many different ways so if he’s
all that we say he is how should we
respond to him we should believe him we
should obey Him we should follow him we
should serve Him we should proclaim him
to other people we should know him
through the Word of God follow him and
love him that’s a big order if Jesus is
who he says he is what should we do
believe him obey Him serve Him proclaim
him know him and follow him and love him
there’s not anything in that list that
says ho-hum it says rather knowing who
he is
it should absolutely impact every single
aspect of our life knowing and obeying
follow him love him
so somebody says well why because of him
he was who was he he was a prophet he
was a teacher he was a healer and he was
the Messiah how could he be a carpenter
for some 30 years and then all of a
sudden be all of this because he’s
always been all of that
so in thinking about that you have to
think about well whether is attributes
what is it about him that we say well
this is who Jesus really was and I think
about people who deny I mean people who
don’t believe in don’t follow him had a
little they know about it they don’t
even know what we’ve said already they
just see him as a teacher and religious
man and they say was the carpenter and
the prophet and so forth
but what was he really like so let’s
think about his attributes for a moment
and the first one most people won’t
understand but the Apostle Paul made it
very clear and I can give you verses for
all of these but especially what I turn
to this one and that is when you think
about who he really is
the scripture says in Colossians that he
was the creator or listen to this he is
the image of the invisible God the
firstborn of all creation for by him all
things were created both in the heavens
and on earth visible and invisible
whether Thrones or dominions or rulers
or authorities all things have been
created through him and for him
the Creator how could he be all this
other and be the Creator well the Bible
says also he is omnipresent he’s
everywhere
that means if he’s omnipresent he goes
home with you today
he came with you this morning because
he’s living within your heart when you
receive him as your personal Savior he’s
with you forever and ever and ever
so the question where is it he’s
omnipresent he’s omnipotent he has all
power there’s not anything he cannot do
he doesn’t do foolish things he does
those things that fit who he is that
that our needs and they’re in keeping
with the will and purpose and plan of
the Father he’s omnipotent he’s
omniscient he knows everything which
means that you now don’t have any
secrets when you’re not Neal Dupree and
you think maybe you ought to confess
something you think oh I don’t
say that he’s already heard it so he
knows everything and then of course
thank God he’s merciful how many times
that we call upon God to be merciful to
us he suggests God that is at no time do
we ever have to worry about it what the
he’ll mistreat us or not we certainly
don’t want him to give us what we
deserve I don’t I want him to give give
us mercy and love and grace but he’s a
just God which means he always does the
right thing the divine thing in every
single circumstance of life I don’t
always understand some things he does
but he’s just doesn’t make any mistakes
he’s more merciful to us than we really
and truly deserve but he’s the god of
awesome mercy and he is eternal how
could he be eternal and be born to a
woman
how could he beat eternal live thirty
years
how could he beat eternal down across
and be resurrected how could he be
eternal well go back to Genesis chapter
one verse 26 when the Bible says God
said let us make man in our image who in
the world is our angels weren’t creators
there wasn’t another person God the
Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit
Jesus was one of the three persons of
the Godhead who created this world and
then of course he’s sinless no anybody
like that anybody volunteer to join that
band I don’t think so he’s absolutely
the sinless son of God who is creator
and just and merciful and all the rest
and at the same time he’s human that’s
the part I love Lord Jesus being human
you understand me
being human you see my frailties and my
faults and my mistakes be being being
human you see my humanity within me
thank God he isn’t just just and
merciful he understands us because there
was not human in him
that he grew up as a little boy like the
little boy in your home only he was
absolutely perfect and absolutely
sinless think about this Mary or Joseph
never had to get a switch never they
never had to get a switch why because he
was absolutely the perfect son of God
before he was born when he was a child
and when he was a man and then of course
he was dear to he was God all these
attributes somebody says who is this man
named Jesus if you just say he was the
baby born in Bethlehem you’ve missed it
he’s everything we’ve said he is
and we haven’t quit and I don’t even
have time to do all the things I’d like
to do but I’m gonna give you enough that
you won’t forget it who is this Jesus
these are his attributes and then of
course one of the issues that is a
theological issue today and that is he
was virgin born now listen to me
carefully one of the signs of people who
are drifting away from the Word of God
are those who disparage the idea that
Jesus Christ was born of a virgin oh
they will say that’s not important there
wasn’t important
he would have been born of a virgin born
of a virgin was absolutely necessary for
him to be the representative for all of
us to take all of our sin upon him and
he died on the cross dying in our place
if he were a sinner he did that in his
own place he had to be born of a virgin
if he had not been born of a virgin he
could not have represented you and me on
the cross and died in our place he had
to be the sinless Lamb of God the
sinless son of God watch this if he had
sinned he too had to die for his own sin
he was sinless therefore he could die
for your sins and mine and then somebody
says well where is he and I love that
question where is he well what would you
say that corner of the script
he’s seated at the Father’s right hand
to make intercession for you and me
that is when we pray he takes our
prayers before the Father and he answers
the prayers because we have accepted the
Lamb of God the Lord Jesus Christ and
His sacrificial substitutionary death at
the cross which makes it possible for us
to relate to God to speak to him him
answer our prayers there’s no one like
him so where is he see that the father’s
right hand and where else is he abiding
in your heart and mind think about who
that is
you have the Lord Jesus Christ living
within you and Jesus made a big deal out
of it that he was within us and that’s
why he use terms like abiding in us and
we are abiding in him and as that branch
abides in the vine so he abides within
us every single believer is stamped
within our heart the very presence of
Jesus Christ Himself where is he where
he’s been since the moment you said I’m
trusting Jesus Christ as my personal
Savior nobody could ever do that but him
and we are eternally the children of God
not because of our conduct but because
Christ lives within us that makes us
very special and remember this the Bible
says once we’ve trusted Jesus as our
Savior
we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit
unto the day of redemption when he calls
his own that is we are absolutely and
forever his children so where is he well
he seated at the Father’s right hand and
he says he’s making intercession for us
and he’s also living within our heart so
think about this
you can’t ever be without him once
you’re with him once Jesus Christ it
saves you you can never be without him
that’s why we can trust him believe him
cry out to him know that he’s with us he
said I’ll never leave you nor forsake
you
so what’s his mission on earth then if
that’s who he is well first of all his
mission is to reveal the father and
remember what Jesus said he said if
you’ve seen me you’ve seen whom you’ve
seen the father that he says I and the
father are one
watch this God came Jesus came God and
the person of Jesus came for the primary
reasons is to say this is this is who
the father is this is the way God thinks
and if you think about those Jews in
those days and especially as a religious
crowd of Pharisees and Sadducees who
supposedly knew all about God knew very
little about him Jesus came to reveal to
us who God is merciful kind forgiving
just than all the things that are true
of Jesus are true of God and so the
person who will never leave you nor
forsake you the person who is the
prophet and the teacher and the healer
is one who lives within us through the
power of the Holy Spirit he came to
reveal the father then to redeem mankind
through his shed blood at the cross
every single one of us has been saved in
the same way you may have been saved
earlier in life you knew a little bit
you may have been saved later in life
and you know a lot but we all got saved
the same way we confess their sins
repent of our sins confess the Lord
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and as
Paul said if you confess him the amount
that Jesus Christ is Lord he will
forgive you of your sins write your name
in the Lamb’s Book of Life and you will
eternally and forever be a child of God
Jesus came to reveal the kind of God who
would save us the kind of God who would
save us as the kind who loved us enough
to have his own son crucified in order
to pay our sin debt in full no one like
him likewise he came to assure us of
life after death and when Jesus Christ
rose from the grave it’s settled once
and for all
there is life beyond this one and you
think about all the thousands of people
who live before believed in something
after death leave most of them do and
probably most people believe it today
but they don’t have anything that they
don’t have any certainty about it
Jesus settled that question that once he
died on the cross and paid our sin debt
in full if he listened if they had bird
Jesus seal them in the tomb and that you
could go to that same tomb today and
they would tell you it’s been sealed for
a couple of thousand years and he’s
still in there that’d be like other
great leaders of the world supposing the
great who died and you can go to that
tomb and this and the other and so forth
no Jesus rose from the grave settle once
and for all that everything he had said
in total was true suppose he hadn’t
risen then what would you think about
some of the things he said but listen we
don’t have any escape he said his the
way I want you to live here’s the life
I’m giving you here’s the power to do it
in and I’ll be with you until the end of
the age he’s the living son of God and I
think about about this that not only
does he give us the promise of life
after death but he also promised there’s
a resurrection so let me ask you a
question do you believe that Jesus
Christ when you die is going to take you
to heaven well about 10 have you do
do you really and truly believe that
you’re going to heaven when you die and
on what basis are you going is it your
conduct is it how much you’ve given how
good you’ve been what is it it’s the
cross the blood of Jesus Christ the
promise of salvation wrote your name in
the Lamb’s Book of Life and no one can
ever erase it no matter what they tell
you know what they do that’s the living
Christ the carpenter the carpenter born
in Bethlehem is the Savior who lives
within your heart and mind he’s the
reigning Lord who sits at the Father’s
right hand to intercede for us and the
best friend we’ll ever have no one like
him and if you think about it the Bible
talks about this abundant life Jesus are
giving a bundle of what’s the abundant
life you ever thought about that
what’s up abundance talks about a lot so
think about all that you have as a
result of being a follower of Jesus you
can’t you can’t in the words that
exhaust your brain to try to think about
all the heat has given you all that he
does for you all the deep promises you
and all that he does moment by moment in
your life that is who Jesus is this
carpenter laid down his tools picked up
one picked up his calling from the
father and has transformed the world and
he will keep on transforming the world
til he comes back one of these days
anything that discredits him in any
fashion in any way is absolutely ungodly
then of course who did Jesus say was
I’ll bet you can name them all well
let’s start with he’s the Good Shepherd
right he’s the bread of life he’s the
vine
he talks about that in the 15th chapter
of of John he says I am the way the
truth and the life no man comes to the
Father but by me he said I’m the light
of the world and I’m the door there’s no
one like that and that’s who he is so
when we think about his name we we call
them Jesus Messiah and for what so forth
it’s the name above all names and the
Bible says listen the Bible says before
him every single knee shall bow and I
think about these tyrants in the world
who want to control everything believe
nothing of the Bible the Bible says one
of these days every one of them shall
bow before the Lord God and all of them
will have to acknowledge that he is
indeed the Jesus the Savior the Lord and
the God of the Bible the name every
tongue shall confess the Bible says
every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God and
the scripture says the only name by
which we shall be saved
now name given by an angel indicated by
his mission on earth the deliverer and
all of history think about this all this
so-called great people but in an
interesting that all of time is divided
by him BC before whom Christ aid thee
after our Lord all time there is there
is nothing and no one to compare to him
and the scripture says he’s the only
begotten Son of God only begotten
there’s none like him he’s one with the
Father and think about this I think
about these people who boast about how
many books they’ve written and they’ve
done this list of this Jesus never wrote
a book he’s the subject of the greatest
book never wrote a song subject of
thousand thousands of songs never owned
a home but going to prepare one – you
never travel but about a hundred miles
from where his home was you think he’s
well traveled
the whole world was in his presence
practice medicine without a license he
is the great physician no pills in those
shots
he never marshaled an army but he’s
brought down every kind of Kingdom
imagine listeners Herod could not kill
him Satan could not seduce him death
couldn’t destroy him and the tomb could
not keep him there’s no one left
so think about all the names that he’s
called in Scripture he’s the king of
kings he’s the son of God
he’s the Lamb of God the Rose of Sharon
the Lord of lords the great High Priest
the Morningstar the Prince of Peace the
wonderful counselor Emmanuel the Word of
God the prophet and Alpha and Omega has
that for a name that’s who Jesus is and
all of these names described as
something either about his character his
attributes or his mission now
maybe you seated here and you’re not a
Christian do you think that one of these
days you’re gonna dun go to heaven
because you’ve been good know our
Heavenly Father sent his son to the
cross to die shed his blood in the most
horrible fashion of crucifixion shed his
blood which was God’s Way of paying for
your sin through the death of his son
and there is only one way to heaven
jesus said I’m the way the truth and the
life no one comes to the Father but by
me and if you intend to go to heaven if
you intend to see the Lord one of these
days you must ask him to forgive you of
your sins trust him as your personal
Savior and start living a godly life
indwelt by the Holy Spirit empowered by
the Holy Spirit who will help you enable
you give you understanding of what they
got little life’s all about but one
thing you cannot do is you cannot say
you have never heard the truth that you
didn’t know who Jesus was the Bible says
that every knee shall bow and every
tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory
God and I pray this Christmas don’t let
all this stuff paper bows cards utensils
all the things that get around your feet
and cause you to stumble don’t let that
take the place of the Son of God who
went to the cross and made everything
within you that’s good possible and we
call his name what
let’s said like a minute what is he
Jesus amen amen amen amen
[Applause]
and father we thank you for your love
for us may we express that every day of
our life by doing what you came and made
possible for us to do to believe you to
obey you to love you and the servi with
all of our heart and we pray this in his
wonderful name amen
[Music]