Why Jesus

Sorry about that. All right, so I’m going to ask, first of all, turn around to your neighbor, give everybody a high five. It’s good to see you guys. If you don’t know somebody, get to know them. All right, before we get started, for those of you don’t know that we have a member of our family that has gone through some intense boot camp training for missionary work.

And what I want is I want TJ to come up and kind of give a little bit of a testimony where she’s at right now in her journey and what’s to be expected. So let me get. Turn that over to him. Yeah, sweet. So our very own faith, she’s with a group of people that are going out to a certain island in Asia.

Not going to say the name of it, because what they’re doing is a little clandestine, but let’s just say it’s the most heated island, probably piece of real estate on the face of the planet right now that China would very much like to have. And so she’s going out there with the most radical, wild people that I have ever met. There are a bunch of Gen Zs that believe that when they pray, God answers prayer. I mean, it’s like, how about that? But they’ve been praying that God would shake Asia with revival.

And so our very own faith is. Has been with them in Colorado Springs for the past couple weeks, and they’re getting ready to leave, I believe, on Thursday, right? Thursday, yeah. To take a plane ride over almost as far away from home as you can possibly be. And, guys, I’ve just been texting her, and we’ve been getting, like, you know, feedback and stuff back and forth, and she’s thriving.

She’s. She’s just learning how to break strongholds by the blood of Jesus. It’s awesome. I. I had the opportunity to deploy with these guys last summer, so I.

I know how wild these guys get. And they. They pray for nine to 12 hours a day, and not just like, Jesus loves me, God, like, kind of like, come. It’s like, God, send revival Jesus by the blood. I mean, it’s like these prayer meetings are like this.

Like, it’s like, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Like, there is not. There’s not sitting. There’s not. Like, this is like we are breaking things.

And when you’re in Asia, the standard operating procedure, the rules of engagement are different over there. They do not have a standing covenant with Yahweh. They have one with the enemy. And so the rules of engagement are different in the Place of prayer and intercession. So anyway, faith is like really, it’s really awesome to see her thrive.

She’s getting ready to do a 21 day fast and like I don’t know if you. I’ve never done 21 days. I mean that’s. Carl has. I’m fixing to work up to that but like that’s really hardcore and we’re so proud of faith, you know, so proud of, you know, that dorf sending, you know, Father fathering and mothering, such a wonderful girl.

And so guys, please keep faith in your prayers as she is literally at the hinge of history and praying this, this stuff through. So. And it will have influence on the, on the rest of the world. I believe their prayers that they’re, that they’re going to go do. It’s very, very special warfare kind of stuff.

She lost her voice. Troll. I’m not surprised. Yeah. So Heavenly Father, right now we just lift up as a church right now for faith.

We pray for strength, we pray for healing, we pray for Lord God whatever her needs may be. Lord God, may you give her a fresh anointing right now. Give her the peace that passes all understanding. And Father, surround her with your angels. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen and amen. Amen. God is good. So real quick before we get started in our text today and I’m going to try not to hold you guys too far. We’re going to continue today on our foundation series.

And before we get into that, I have one testimony that I want to give. So most of you know that a lot of our staff, including myself, are bi vocational. Okay? Now if you’re not understanding what bi vocational means is that we serve in the ministry as well as we hold jobs. So part of my job is I am an insurance adjuster.

I’m probably one of the, either I’m one of the most liked or the most hated people in my profession. So that’s just kind of how it goes. Truth. So one of my jobs is I do a lot of property adjusting. And one of my least favorite parts of property adjusting is when I see it come across as other and typically with other means is that it’s not a good situation.

We consider that in the industry as what we call biohazards. And typically what has happened is either there was a medical emergency or it was a somebody took their own life. So those are typically not real exciting for me to go on because of where I stand in my relationship with Christ. And I have a, my wife and I as well As a lot of our staff have a sensitivity to the supernatural. So when I typically roll up on these, there’s a spirit that I can sense, and it’s very heavy and it’s very daunting.

So before I typically ever get out of my truck, I pray, holy Spirit, go before me, because I know what that’s like, because it has touched my own life on a very, very personal and real level. So this particular time, I showed up this past week, and I’m not going to mention any names or anything, but I came to this job, and I already knew what I was kind of walking into. So I get to the home, and I go to step out of my truck, and. And there is a completely different spirit. Something that I am just.

I’ve only felt this spirit here or in my own home. So something was different to say that it was off. Yeah, maybe a little, but there wasn’t a heaviness. So as I approached the house, they have a big picture window. And I happen to look through the picture window, and.

And I’m looking at the tv, and on the tv, I see raising of hands, and I’m like, hmm. So as I get closer to the house, I’m feeling this. I’m feeling what I believe and perceive to be the Holy Spirit. And as I hit the threshold of this house, the Holy Spirit whispers to me, and he says, I reside in this house. And I was like, this is going to be different.

So as I walk in, I introduce myself. I do the same spiel. I tell them who I am, why I’m here. Now, mind you, the lady, the girl that was there never told me what happened. She couldn’t.

I had to find out through other channels. So as I get there, she’s looking at me. She never once made eye contact with me. She’s looking at the floor. Her mother is there.

They’re very nervous. And as we begin to speak, she spoke with a trembling voice. And she began as tears began to flow and whatnot. And finally. And I looked at her and I said, stop, Stop.

I said, understand this. I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there. And I said, I’m here for you. And so she began to look at me, and she said, well, I don’t understand.

I said, look, I’m here to adjust your claim, but I’m here to bring comfort to you in any way, shape, or form that I can. And it began that I began to tell her a little bit of my testimony. And as I began to share with her and I began to tell her, I says, look, I’m a pastor, but I’m also not immune to what you’re going through. Her and her mother immediately began to crumble and they began to cry. And she said, you don’t know what that means to me.

She said, we have a family member who’s a pastor, and he wanted to come and pray and be with us, but he’s more of a fire and brimstone and he’s very hard, and we just didn’t need that right now. And I looked at her and I said, you’re absolutely right. You don’t need that. You don’t. So as time went on, we began to discuss, you know, just them and talk about them and where they’re at and come to find out it was her husband.

I didn’t know all the details. I didn’t ask. It didn’t matter, because at this point in time, I’m here for the living, not the dead. So as I sit here and I’m talking with her and all of a sudden her mother and her come and surround me and hug me and they begin to weep and we begin to cry, and I just began to pray over them and I just began to pray and just ask God to touch them. So as I did what I had to do and I went through what my job is to do as I put my stuff away and I said, look, I said, I’m.

I’m here for you. She says, well, we belong to a church. I said, that doesn’t matter to me. I said, I’m not asking you to leave your house. I said, our church is kingdom minded.

I’m kingdom minded. And I said, because at one day, there’s not going to be churches, there’s not going to be denominations. We’re all going to stand as one before the Lord Jesus Christ and. And we’re going to worship him together. I said, so that can happen right here, right now.

And her mother looked at me and she said, I’ve never heard a pastor say that. And I said, well, I said, if you’ve never heard a pastor say that, then maybe it’s about time that you had. So as I began, I said, look, before I leave, I’m going to go ahead and pray if that’s okay with you, for the third time. And she said, please do so. As I began, I laid hands on her and I began to pray for her and.

And something drew me over to the mother and I began. I laid my hands on her mother and I began to pray. And I began to pray. Then all of a sudden, I began to see her mother go out. Let me explain something to you.

And I say that to say this, you don’t have to be a pastor. One of the sermons that I’ve always talked about is that when you become a Christian, you are, in a sense, a minister of the gospel. It doesn’t make a bit of difference what your career is. You are first and foremost a child of God. And your spirit needs to stay in tune with what he has and the atmosphere that you walk into.

The enemy will do everything possible to distract, to destroy and discourage. And the only way that you can usurp what the enemy wants to do is by staying in his word and by getting on your knees and by praying and praying for God to give you insight. I’ve been called weird, I’ve been called abnormal, I’ve been called brainwashed. But the way I look at it, it’s for my Lord Jesus Christ. I wear them as a badge of honor.

Understand this. God does things because he needs people like us, like you, that he can send out into the world to reach the lost. And a lot of times you don’t have to be. You don’t have to run around being a Bible thumper or wear it on your sleeve. Sometimes you just need to sit and be quiet in the moment and just listen because the Holy Spirit is going to tell you what’s happening.

Learn to read the room. And when you learn to read the room, it’s amazing what God will do and how he will use you. And you will come out with so much joy. And it doesn’t matter. Age is no different.

What you do as a career is no different. Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter at all. But I wanted to give you that testimony because God is good. God is good.

And when I left, she told me, her and her mother told me. She said, we were so nervous about this meeting. We were so just afraid of how this was going to turn out. And she said, God, she showed up and I told her. I said, when I showed up and hit your threshold, I said, the Holy Spirit told me that he resides here.

And immediately she started crying again. I said, God’s here. God’s here. And that’s amazing. It’s absolutely amazing.

So I wanted to share that with you. So as we move on. So we’ve been doing this. We’ve been doing a sermon series called Foundations. Now, Foundations, where we draw this from.

If you don’t have this book, I would highly advise that you get it. Our senior pastor, Hans Hess wrote this book called First Passages. It’s basically an introduction into the Christian belief. If you have any questions or concerns or you want to know, what do I believe? Why do I believe it?

Or why should I get others believe it, I would highly recommend that you grab this book. You can find it on Amazon if you would like. If we could try to get it, you can get with either Casey or Mikayla out front and we could try to see if we can get some copies and make them available to you. I don’t know what the cost is. I think when I went to Amazon it was like 10 bucks.

But it’s a very, very good read. Our first sermon that we did is that we talked about was why Christianity? If you happen to miss that, go back on our YouTube page. You can pull up saltchurch.org and go into that and you can, you can listen to that.

I would highly recommend it today. What we’re going to talk about today is why Jesus? Why Jesus? So our text we’re going to draw from is John 8, 48, 59. So if you have your Bibles, either on your phone or if you brought your Bible with you, why don’t you turn with me?

It’ll show up. I believe it’s going to show up on the screen. Maybe. I don’t know. matt, maybe.

Yes, yes. I love my brother matt. He’s back there. And matt, for those of you that don’t know matt Smith, I would highly recommend that you get to know him. He is a wonderful brother.

He keeps me in tune. We call him. He’s basically our director. He directs this. I look to him for instructions.

He tells me what to do. I don’t tell him what to do. So he tries to keep us in tune so God love him. So we’re going to start in chapter 8, verses 48. And it says, then the Jews answered him and said to him, we do not say rightly that you are Samaritan and have a demon.

Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father and you dishonor me, and I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges most assuredly. I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. Then the Jews said to him, now we know you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets.

And you say, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never taste death. Are you greater than our Father Abraham, who is dead and the prophets that are dead? Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered, if I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father who honors me, of whom you say that he is your God, yet you do not know him.

But I know him. And if I say I do not know him, I shall be a liar like you. But I do not know. But I do know him. And I keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see me my day, to see my day. And when he saw it, he was glad. Then Jesus said to him. Then Jesus said to him, you are not yet 50 and yet you have seen Abraham. Jesus said to them, most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

Highlight that. Highlight that it says, Jesus said to them, most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Then they took up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out into the temple and going into the midst of them and so passed by. So as we look into this, if we look into the background of John 8.

See, John 8 takes place during a period of increased conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. See, Jesus had been teaching in the temple courts in Jerusalem and. And his claims were becoming more direct and more controversial. See, early in the chapter, we understand that he declared, I am light of the world. The Pharisees immediately challenged his authority because they understood that Jesus was making claims far beyond those that were of an ordinary rabbi.

See, as the conversation unfolds, Jesus begins exposing the real issue. The problem wasn’t a lack of evidence, it was unbelief. The religious leaders believed they were secure because they were descendants of Abraham. They believe that they came from pedigree. How many pastors do we hear that they go, that I’ve seen just in mind.

So one thing I could tell you about myself, I don’t come from pedigree. That ain’t me. I come from a blue collar worker. Okay? My grandfather was a mailman.

My dad was an auto worker. My mom and dad, they had split up when I was young. My mom was a nurse, worked from job to job doing what she could to help us out. Okay? I didn’t come to pedigree.

My mom wound up when I was, when I was a little bit older, wound up becoming the pastor secretary. And I always tell people, I said, we cut our teeth on the pew because we did. When I say there were church mice. Yeah, there were church mice. Because during revival services, as the pastor was speaking, the mice would come out and sit on the altar to listen to the pastor.

So we were in a little old country church, okay? So their confidence was in their heritage, their tradition, and their religious identity. But Jesus tells them that being physically related to Abraham does not make them spiritually right with God. In fact, he tells them, if you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But as he says that, the tension continues to rise until the conversation now turns more personal.

And the leaders eventually had accused Jesus of being demon possessed and a Samaritan. If you’re not familiar with Samaritans, you could do a deep dive in history. Samaritans weren’t exactly the greatest. They were the outcast. They were the lowest of lows.

But see, Jesus makes a stunning statement in this. And he says, your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. What does this mean? It means that Jesus said that he existed at the time of Abraham, even before Abraham, and then comes out of the most important declaration of all.

And it says, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus didn’t say, before Abraham I was. He said, I am. He deliberately reached back to the burning bush in Exodus 3, in Exodus 3, where he. Where God revealed his covenant to Moses, which, if you remember, he says, when Moses asked the question, he says, who should I say that sent me?

And he says, I am who I am. In that moment, Jesus was claiming eternal existence, equality with God, and the divine name itself. The religious leaders knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew exactly what it meant. That’s why they started picking up stones to throw at him. See, this is why the question of why Jesus is so important.

Jesus never gave us the option of merely admiring him. He forced a decision. Either he was telling the truth when he said, I am, or he was the greatest deceiver that ever lived. But he cannot simply be another good teacher among many. He can’t.

See, here’s the central question throughout this sermon today. And it’s not about why Jesus? It’s about who do you say that Jesus is? Who do you say that Jesus is in your life? See, many of us go through, and we could say, well, I’m a Christian.

I believe the word you do. Does your life bear the fruit of what you believe? Who do you say who Jesus is? Because if you believe that you know who Jesus is, then you’re going to be Christ. Like you’re going to be like him.

See, CS Lewis made this statement when he was talking about a liar, a lunatic, and a Lord. See, he says it this way. This is the one thing we Must not say a man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level of a man who said that he’s a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice.

Either this man was and is the son of God, or else he’s a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you could spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He’s not left that open to us and he did not intend to. See, Lewis was right.

Jesus leaves no room for neutrality. You can reject him, you can ignore him, or you can fall at his feet. Because Christianity ultimately is not about a creed, it’s not about a church, and it’s not about a code. Understand this. There’s an old saying.

Two things you can always depend on death and taxes. Okay? But I will tell you this. At some point in time in your life, your life will come to a close. You will come to the final chapter of your book.

Here you make the ultimate decision, who you call Lord. Because I could tell you this as I’m standing here today. We all will have to sit in front of God and give an answer for everything that we’ve done. It just depends on who’s going to be standing beside us. Is it going to be an empty space or is it going to be Jesus that looks at his Father in heaven and said, I shed my blood for this one and it washed away all sin.

See, many of us, and there are many of us that go about our life and we’re good Sunday Christians. We show up, we check the box, we walk out, we feel good. But then when Monday comes. So every other day that ends in Y, we live like hell and we do what we want. I know that stings, but it’s true.

Because God’s not looking for part time Christians. He’s looking for committed Christians. So when we talk about this before we get into the main point of the message, what do other religions say about Jesus? Because one of the most remarkable facts in the history about every religion or belief or occult mention has either mentioned or has an opinion about Jesus. I can go through this word and it never talks about Buddhism or Muslim or Islam or anything like that.

But when you go into to the Buddhist theology or the Hindu theology or the Islamic they all mentioned Jesus in some way, shape or form. So I want to dive into those just real quick. See Judaism, they view Jesus as a teacher or historical figure, but does not accept him as the Messiah or son. The Jewish expectation is they’re still waiting for the Messiah to come to sit upon the throne in Jerusalem. And then there’s Islam.

If anybody thinks that Islam is a religion, you’re sadly mistaken. Islam is an ideology and it’s one of the fastest growing ideologies in the United States. And if you don’t start walking with your eyes open, it’s going to hit you like a, like a Mack truck. And it’s coming. The fact of the matter is, is that we could say in some neighborhoods that it’s coming, but it’s here.

It’s absolutely here. See, in Islam Jesus is referred to as Isa or Isa, one of the greatest prophets. He’s believed to have been born of a virgin and performed miracles. However, Muslims do not believe he is God, the son of God, or that he died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice. See, when you do a little bit of a deeper dive in the Quran, the primary message that points back to the Bible authority, truth is what’s called, and I’m probably going to butcher this, so forgive me, I’m not as scholarly as some.

Sera Al Mahid 5, chapter 5, verse 46 says, and we sent following in their footsteps, Jesus the son of Mary, confirming that which was before him in the Torah and we gave him the Gospels in which was guidance and light and confirming the that which was preceded by it of the Torah and his guidance and instruction for the righteous. What they’re doing is the Quran itself is saying, look, refer back to the Bible because that’s where the truth is. How ironic, how ironic. See even in Another chapter in 568 it says, oh say O people of the scripture, you are standing on nothing until you uphold the teachings of the Torah, the gospel and what has been revealed to you from your Lord within. The Quran, they refer back to it, but yet they’re the one of the most violent ideologies and quite frankly they hate Christians and Jews.

They will literally lie to you to get you on your side, on their side. But yet their own word, their own Bible, their own, their own manuscript confirms this is truth. This is truth. Then we get into Hinduism. Many Hindus view Jesus as a holy man, enlightened teacher, guru, or even an avatar like figure.

But he’s generally seen as one spiritual path among many rather than only one way to God. Buddhism they reject Jesus as a wise teacher who demonstrated compassion and self sacrifice. However, Buddhism does not recognize him as God or Savior. Then we get a little bit closer to home. Jehovah’s Witness.

See, Jehovah’s Witness teach that Jesus is God’s first creation and distinct from God himself. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity and do not believe in Jesus is the eternal God. A little bit closer to home, Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teach that Jesus is the Son of God and Savior. But their understanding of his nature differs significantly from historic Christian teachings affirmed in the Nicene Creed. And we’re going to get to that in the Nicene Creed.

The next one, and the final one is New Age spirituality. Many New Age beliefs believe Jesus is an enlightened master or spiritual guide. They admire him for his teachings, but reject his exclusive claims about himself. What’s the difference here? Got to notice this.

Most religions will allow you to call Jesus a prophet, a teacher, a miracle worker, a wise man, or a spiritual guide. But see, Jesus in our word never left those options open. He said, and I go back to what the scripture that we read, he said before Abraham was, I am. I am. See, that’s not the language of a prophet, a philosopher, or a moral teacher.

It’s the language of deity. The crowd understood exactly what that meant because they tried to kill him. See, you can reject him, you can misunderstand him, you can even attempt to redefine him, but you can’t ignore him. See, many religions make room for Jesus. But only biblical Christianity bows before him as Lord.

Again, John 5:58, Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus is not merely a good man to admire. He is God in flesh, to worship. There’s a writer or philosopher named Doscoveski. He says this.

The most pressing question on the problem of faith is whether a man, as a civilized being, can believe in the divinity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. For there rest the whole faith. As he observed, the whole Christian faith rises or falls on the identity of Jesus Christ. The simple question is not, did Jesus exist? See, history’s already answered that question.

He did exist. The question is, who is he? See, every religion has teachers. Every philosophy has an idea. Every movement has a leader.

But Christianity stands alone because it declares that God stepped into human history. He’s not merely a prophet, not merely a teacher. He’s not even a miracle worker. He’s God in flesh. He’s God in flesh.

So when we go a little bit further and you get into John, we look at the IMs. And I’m going to briefly go through these, go back and read these, because these are promises. When the enemy comes back, comes at you like in. Like a flood, you have to understand the I am that I am. You serve.

He watches over you. See, it says, I am. He says, I am the bread of Life. John. John 6:35.

See, Jesus states that just as physical bread sustains life, he alone provides eternal spiritual nourishment. The next one is, I am the light of the world. John 8:12. He offers spiritual guidance and truth to a world lost in darkness. No other religion does that.

He says, I am the gate for the sheep. In John 10:7, Jesus declares Himself the sole entry point into God’s kingdom of eternal salvation. Jesus says, if you lift me up, I will draw all men unto me. He says, I’m the Good Shepherd. John 10 and 11 and 14, he illustrates his sacrificial love and care and protection for his followers.

He says, I’m the resurrection and the life. John 11:25. See, Jesus promises victory over physical and spiritual death for those that believe in him. If you believe in him and you are completely sold out for him, death is but merely a door. That’s all it is.

It’s a door. You pass through it. You move into that which is greater, which he has prepared for you. He says, I am the true vine. Jesus explained.

And this is in John 15:1. It says, Jesus explains that remaining connected to him is necessary to spiritual fruit. But see, this is where we get into that John a little bit, where Jesus says he existed way before this. And it’s in John 1:1:5. It says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was nothing made that was made in him was life. And the life was the light of man. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:14 says this.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory and the glory of the Lord, and the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. See, even when we go back in time, even the church, our own church, had arguments over who Jesus was. But it coalesced into two camps. One was where people had argued for his humanity, saying that he couldn’t have been God in the flesh. On the other hand, people argued for his divinity too extreme.

He was only a spirit. So what did the early church do? With Jesus. See, that’s the same question that we ask today that they’ve been wrestling with for centuries. Is he merely a prophet?

Is he a moral teacher? Is he a worker? Or is he truly God in flesh? After examining this testimony of Scripture, the early church gathered in AD 325 and summarized their belief in what became known as the Nicene Creed. I remember when I was in Catholic school, I used to have to remember.

I used to have to know this. And as a kid I never really paid attention to it. It was like, okay, that’s just nice. It had a nice ring to it. But now, as I’m growing older, I realize the power that is actually behind this.

And it says this. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, and in the one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father for all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, the same essence of the Father. Through him all things were made for us and for our salvation. He came down from heaven. He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again. According to the Scriptures, he ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to, to judge the living and the dead.

And his kingdom will not end. It will not end. See, the Creed was the Church’s formal declaration that Jesus is not merely a messenger of God. They declared ultimately that Jesus is God from God, light from light, true God from true God begotten, not made, the one essence with the Father. In other words, they were saying that Jesus isn’t like God.

He is God. See, the Church didn’t invent the deity of Christ at Nicaea. They defended it. What Jesus had already declared, the purpose of a creed is to provide doctrinal statement, correct belief among Christians and controversy. See, when Jesus said before Abraham was I am, he wasn’t merely claiming to be ancient.

He was claiming to be the very name of God. The early Church simply affirmed what Jesus had already himself had taught. So because Jesus is God in the flesh, he could reveal the Father perfectly. His sacrifice could save completely and his resurrection guarantees our future. That keeps the creed, the Nicene Creed, from feeling less like a history lesson more into evidence, supporting a central theme.

Why Jesus? Because Jesus is God who came near. So the Nicene Creed settled what the church believed about Jesus. So the question is, again, what will you do with Jesus? So we’re going to roll through five points and we’re right now we’re going to circle the airport.

So pay attention because I want you to get this. So Jesus revealed what God was really like. See, people often say, well, I wish I really could know God. I could see him. The scripture is simple about that.

It says, look at Jesus. He’s the perfect example. See, when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus responded, he who has seen me has seen the Father. He already said that. If you want to know how God treats sinners, look at Jesus.

If you want to know how God responds to broken people, look at Jesus. If you want to know how God’s heart towards humanity looks, look to Jesus. See, Jesus is God with skin on. Jesus didn’t send a photograph of himself. He sent his Son.

See, the invisible became the visible. The unknowable became the knowable. The distant became near. This is why John says, the word became flesh and it dwelt among us. See, number two.

Jesus showed us. Showed us what complete surrender looks like. See, a lot of us in our life goes, well, I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know if I could submit myself to what this word really says. But see, one of the greatest miracles wasn’t Jesus walking on water.

Actually, it was just perfect obedience. See, Adam failed, Israel failed. We fail. But Jesus never failed and gave us the perfect example. See, three times he could have chosen a completely different path.

One in the wilderness, 1 in John 6 when the crowds walked away. And in Gethsemane, and in Gethsemane before the cross. Yet he continually chose the Father’s will. Jesus didn’t just merely teach obedience, he modeled it. See, the greatest victory Jesus won was before he ever reached the cross.

He surrendered his will to the Father. See, many of us want a Savior. Far few want him more as a Lord. But he can’t not be divided. Number three.

Jesus lived a life we could never live. The gospel isn’t that Jesus was better than us. The gospel is that Jesus was what we could never be. He was sinless, he was holy, he was pure, and he was perfectly righteous. The same Jesus who calmed the storm also faced temptation.

The same Jesus who raised the dead, he experienced exhaustion. The same Jesus who was fully God, yet he was fully man. He understands our struggles because he entered them. See, Jesus never sinned, yet he understands every battle that you’re going through. Number four.

Jesus came to do what no one else could do. See, every religion offers advice or a philosophy or a path. Jesus offered himself. See, John the Baptist saw him and cried out and said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our problem wasn’t ignorance.

It was sin. We didn’t simply need instruction. We needed redemption. No prophet could die for the sins of the world. No philosopher could remove guilt.

No religious system could wash away shame. Only Jesus could see, the cross wasn’t an accident. It was an appointment. The cross became the perfect example of an I love you. It became the perfect example of I forgive you.

That’s what it became. See, he became what we were so we could become what he intended us to be. Lastly, Jesus secured the future that we could never earn. The resurrection is not merely proof of what Jesus that Jesus was alive. It’s a promise that believers will also live.

Jesus wasn’t simply raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those that would follow. He led by example. As he rises, so will we, because he lived. Death loses its sting.

The grave loses its victory. Hope has the final word. Christianity is not built on a memory of a dead founder. It’s built on the very presence of a live king. And he simply looks at you and says, I stand right before you with my hand out.

I see your struggles. I see what you’re going through. I gave the ultimate sacrifice because I loved you. He saw you when he was being whipped, when they were placing the crown of thorns on his head. He saw your face when they stretched his hands out and they drove nails through his hands and his feet.

He saw you. He could have called 10,000 angels to come down and rescue him. But instead, what he did is he said, father, take this for them, because they matter more to me than anything. Every other religious leader says, follow my teachings. Jesus says, follows me.

So the question still remains, what will you do with Jesus? As John 8 says, Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus wasn’t claiming to know God. He was claiming to be God. So every person must answer this same question.

See, it’s not about, what do I think about church. Because if you’re following church and you’re following a man who’s part of that church, you’re gonna get let down. You’re gonna get let down at some point in time, if you come to this church long enough, I’m probably gonna let you down. I’m probably going to disappoint you. But here’s the thing.

If I stay in his word and I stay true to where he needs me to be. The one thing I can guarantee you is I will do whatever I can do to exhibit the love of Jesus Christ, just like that person. Even though that what I did could have. Ultimately, it could cost me my job. It could cost me my job.

But you know what? I serve a greater God. I serve a greater God. And it’s also not about. What do you think about religion?

If you want religion, go find yourself a religion. If you want a relationship, then let’s talk. Because having relation, having a relationship with a God who loves me is much, much greater than just a simple belief. So what are you going to do with Jesus? Christianity proclaims that God himself stepped into human history, took on flesh and died for our sins, rose again and will return again as king.

Why Jesus? Because this is very simple. Because no one else is God in the flesh. Not Buddha, not Mohammed, not anybody else. No one else saves like Jesus.

No one else died like him. No one else rose like him. And no one else can save like him. The cradle declared that he came. The cross declared that he loved the empty tomb declared that he conquered.

The throne declares that he reigns. And in one day, every person who has ever lived will answer the same question. Who is Jesus? But for those that know him, he is more than a teacher. He’s more than a prophet.

He’s more than a miracle worker. He is the great I am. He is God in the flesh. He saved the world and he’s king of kings. And if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what else is.

Because we could stand in a stadium and cheer to the loudest or a voice goes numb for somebody driving a ball and down a field. But when somebody names and says he’s king of kings, over my life, he’s savior of my life. We have a tendency to sit like a bump on a log. But yet let something go wrong in your life. Let tragedy hit your life.

And guess what? You’ll pick up the phone. Pastor Carl, I need prayer. Pastor Alex, Pastor TJ can you pray for me? I know that’s hard.

Guess what? If you’re looking for somebody seeker friendly or you’re looking for an easy message, this may not be it for you. I love you. Because you know what my job is. I want to see you in heaven.

I want to see you prosper. I want to see you prosper. I want to see you healed. You think it’s just a phrase When I sit here and say that I want Salt Church to be cancer free, anxiety free, Depression free. It’s because I’m standing on this and because I know it can happen.

I don’t care what every other church is doing. I’ve already done the research. Within a 10 mile radius. There’s 75 other churches here, okay? But God has said, I want you different.

I want you set apart. Because at some point in time, it’s not an if, it’s a when. Tragedy’s gonna hit you, you’re gonna be backed into a corner. It’s gonna be a doctor’s note, it’s gonna be the finances, it’s gonna be the bank. It’s gonna be something.

Where’s your strength gonna come from? Because it can’t come from, man. Any pastor could stand up here and give you a message that gives you the warm and fuzzies and checks your boxes. My job As a pastor, TJ’s job as a worship leader, Alex’s in outreach, is we’re to encourage you to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Because at some time, some point in your life, you’re going to look and you’re going to go, God, I’m all alone.

All I see is one set of footprints and the Holy Spirit’s going to look at you and go, that’s because I’m carrying you. I’m carrying you, my child. I haven’t left. I love you. So the fact of the matter is that.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Who does he matter? Is he stronger? Does Jesus matter more than the addiction? Does he matter more than the pain?

Because he loves you. He cares about you. You mean more to him than anything. He cares about your situation. He cares about what’s going on in your life.

And all he says is, just give me the time. Just give me the time. Why don’t we all stand? I know I’ve gone a little over. I apologize.

But. Understand this. God loves you more than you will ever know. He loves you more than the situation that encompass your life. He loves you more than your addiction.

He loves you more than your financial depravity. He loves you more than your career. He loves you more than anything that’s going on in your life with every head bowed and every eye closed. If you don’t know this Lord, I’m not just talking about saying, you know what I did? At some point in time, I gave my heart to the Lord.

And. And that was a good day. But if you truly desire to know Jesus more intimately, I want to pray with you as you stand here and you’re in your seat, I’m going to pray, and I want you to pray this in your heart, and we’re going to agree with you in prayer. Heavenly Father, as I stand before you today, God, I’ve just had a lackluster belief in you. I haven’t always done what you’ve asked me to do or what’s required.

But today, Lord, I ask that you would hold me accountable. That, Father, that from this day forward, that you will be the center of my life. That you will be the pinnacle of my life. Father, I pray that I will no longer be distracted, whether it be finances, marriage issues, relationship issues, whatever, Lord. But that my eyes would stay fixed on you.

I pray, Father God, that right now that today would be the day that I turn the corner. Father, make yourself real to me. Make yourself more real to me than ever before. Praise you, Lord. If you say and agree with that prayer, the team and I would love to pray for you.

That’s why you have the cards next to you. You could simply just write on there as I agree, and we’re gonna pray for you. Salt Church is here because we love you and we care about you. And ultimately, our goal is to put you and get you where Jesus needs you to be. We’re all missionaries.

We’re all ministers of the Gospel God, I just pray for this congregation right now. I pray that a special anointing would come upon them. I pray, Father God, that you would touch them and minister to them. I pray that, Lord Jesus, that as they walk out of this building, that they would walk out with a friend, fresh understanding and a fresh anointing, that they would go forth in power and praise, Father, that they themselves would feel unconquerable. That, Lord God, that they walk in the midst of your power.

In the name of Jesus, I thank you for them. I praise you for them. I give you glory and I give you honor for these people, for all of us as we stand here today. Father God, may your spirit not remain here, but may it go in front of us and walk with us. Go into the homes, Lord God, change lives right now.

In the name of Jesus. Father, we love you and we praise you in your name. Amen and amen. I love you guys. What are you going to do?

What are you going to do with Jesus? Go back, listen to this. Get to the notes. Really do a deep dive. I want to challenge you guys.

You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for being here. It’s been a privilege and an honor to serve you guys. I love you guys. Have a great week.

Stay cool. Go with God. He’s going with you.