Jesus True God and True Man
Summary
This is a talk that
is designed to get folks thinking about Who Jesus
is. When we think of Jesus, if we do it at
all, most of us likely stick to a comfortable sort of skimming over whom Jesus
really is and the fact that He has two distinct natures: True God and True Man. When I say comfortable skimming, I mean that
we don’t really think very deeply about what Jesus having two natures truly means,
and that at least for me, my focus, as I think a lot of folks focus might be,
has been more on Jesus’ miracles and Godly attributes – His Godness or
Divinity, rather than on His humanity.
We, of course, having faith believe that Jesus is God, and as God, we
tend to relate to Him being up there or out there, and we don’t think too much
about the fact that He had in His life among us 2000 years ago a body and
experienced all the same feelings, angers, frustrations, joys, love, and
amazement we are experiencing right now in our lives here in Prince Fredrick
and the greater Washington area.
The purpose of this
talk is to help those present to hear it to think a little about how they
relate to Jesus as a person, God and man, and the perfect revelation of the
Father’s love. In the talk we will try
to express the fullness of both His Divinity and His humanity, but united in
one person. Because He is human we can
relate to Him – He understands, He shares in our
struggle. Because He is Divine, He saves
– He is the solution to our problems and He wants our love and salvation.
Outline
Who is Jesus?
* Jesus is different from every other historical figure. “He Lives” (II Cor. 13:4) – this is the
message of the Resurrection.
* Therefore, we can know Him today (know in the
scriptural sense, that is, have a
personal relationship with Him by internalizing what
we know of Him through the Gospels and taking in and living His commandments.)
* The truth of the matter is that the majority of us do not really know Him. Just as John the Baptist declared: “There is one among you who you do not
recognize” (John 1:26), We are like the two disciples
on the road to Emmaus – we do not recognize the Risen Lord, God and man, who is
with us.
* We seek to know Jesus today as a person who invites us to a close
personal relationship with Himself. But
what does this mean? As a person, He is
man, but as God, He is Divine. In
thinking about Jesus, in getting to know Him better, we can begin to
internalize what He means to us and what it means in our relationship and faith
in Him when we say He is both God and
Jesus is God
* Jesus claims to be God: “I tell you
most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I AM” (John 8:58). He is the “I AM” of the Old Testament. Those who were present understood Him to
claim to be God.
* By His way of life, by His teaching, by His miracles “signs,” He gives
evidence that He is God. Either He is
what He claims to be or He is a great imposter. As Christians, we like those
who have gone before us, reflecting on the events of Jesus’ life, especially
the Resurrection, come to an understanding of Him as God. (John 6:67-69).
Jesus Is Man
* Jesus is not a distant God, more feared than loved. He is God With Us –
Emmanuel – because He is one of us – God made man. In His life, He was as fully human as any
human being. In His humanity He is like
us in all things except sin.
He works and grows
tired: John 4: 5-6 (
He is disappointed: John 14:9
(Philip)
He is angry: John 2:13-17 (
He suffers: Mark
14: 32-42 (
He loves: John
11: 36-37 (Lazarus)
He empathizes: Luke 7: 11-17 (Widow)
John 2: 1-11 (
He understands: John 8: 3-11 (Adulteress)
Luke 19: 1-10 (Zacchaeus)
He is firm: John 18: 33-40 (Pilate)
He is gentle: Luke 18: 15-17 (Children)
He asks for support: Matt. 26: 36-41 (Agony)
Jesus is Savior and Lord
* Because He is both God and Man, He is the one mediator between God and
man. He alone makes possible our return
to the Father. (Read Timothy 2: 5-6)
* The saving work of Jesus is expressed beautifully in an early hymn quoted
by
* Jesus is Lord because God has reconciled all things in Him, (cf. Col. 1:
18-19) He is the center of our existence. (cf. Gal 2: 20-21) We only have to
come to know Him and allow Him to come into all aspects of our lives.
Conclusion
* Jesus lives. He is God with us. He is Emmanuel. Because He is with us, we can approach Him
with confidence. And, in fact, Jesus
invites us to encounter Him in a new way this very day! He is knocking at the door of your heart and
only you can let Him in.
Who do you say that
Jesus is?