Introduction
Jesus asked the disciples a question: Who do people say that the Son of Man is? That question has different answers for different people. For Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus is a created being, the son of God, but not God himself. For Hindus, Jesus is just one of many gods out there. For Muslims, Jesus is a good man, a esteemed prophet, but not God. The book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ (not just the revelation of Jesus Christ). Jesus is revealed as the Alpha and the Omega. He is the one who was and is and is to come. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It is imperative that we understand who Jesus is. A faulty view of Jesus will affect our Christianity. A correct view of Jesus will transform us. Let’s take a look at Hebrews 1:1 – 14.
Jesus is Creator
Jesus is not a created being: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). It was the divine Jesus who created the heavens and the earth (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). The creation is fascinating: there are so many animals and birds; there are beautiful flowers and stunning scenery. I still remember New England autumns, where the leaves turned from green to shimmering colors before falling to signal the coming of winter. Scripture indicates that God created ex nihilo (out of nothing); He created without preexisting materials. If I give an artist some materials to work with, he could create something, but asking him to create something out of nothing would be impossible. Even the theory of evolution requires the pre-existence of matter.
The world was created by the spoken word. Jesus simply spoke and the world came into existence. He created both what is visible and what is invisible: the visible refers to everything that we can see, including the various heavenly bodies; the invisible refers to the spirit world of angelic beings. When God finished creating him, he created man in his image: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). The earth was created for the benefit of man. God provided everything that was needed before placing humanity on earth. Creation is for the glory of God and man exists to worship God.
Creation demonstrates God’s omnipotence, wisdom, love, and sovereignty. The Bible says that the earth belongs to the Lord and all that is in it, the world and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters (Psalm 24:1, 2). God provided everything man needed. Because He is the omnipotent God, He is able to intervene in the situations of your life. There is absolutely nothing that God cannot do for you that is in perfect accordance with his will. God will provide for you even in supernatural ways. The story is told of a minister who spoke about the importance of generosity. A little girl took that message to heart and began saving money to give to God’s work. One day she gave the minister $1, the total she had managed to accumulate; she also gave him a letter explaining what the money was for. The minister accepted it gratefully; he had been trying to raise $5,000,000 to purchase property for ministry purposes. Some time later, the girl died and the minister still only had the dollar. He spoke with the owners of the property and showed them the little girl’s letter. They accepted the $1 as payment in full for the property. God is no respecter of persons. If we trust in Him, He will meet our needs and sometimes He will do so in supernatural ways.
Just as Jesus demonstrated wisdom in creation, He will give you strategic wisdom to face any situation. Much is being said about the economic recession. Pharaoh, in Joseph’s time, had a dream, the interpretation of which was that seven years of famine will follow seven years of plenty. Those seven years of famine are equivalent to our recession, but God gave Joseph strategic wisdom to know exactly what to do. Similarly, God will give his people the solutions that are needed not only to weather this crisis, but also to emerge victorious. If everything belongs to God, then we can be sure that nothing is lacking in his kingdom.
Jesus sustains creation: He did not create it, then, like an absentee landowner, let it run on its own. The same God who created is the same God who maintains the creation of him. It was Jesus who said that He will build his church and that the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against it. He will guard and guard what we entrust to him: our salvation and our soul. Some of you know the story of Nicki Cruz. Nicki was a gang leader in New York City. When David Wilkerson shared the gospel with him, Nicki slapped him across the face and threatened to kill him. Undeterred, David continued to preach the love of Christ. Despite his threat, Nicki could not resist the conviction of the gospel message and eventually he and some of the other gang members accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Nicki eventually became a powerful evangelist, ministering all over the world. The Scriptures tell us that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Glory is attributed to Him who is mighty to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence blameless and with great joy.
Jesus is God
Jesus is fully God: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In John 5:18 and 10:33, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because he was equal to God. Also, in John 8:58, Jesus referred to himself as “I am”, identifying himself with Jehovah in the Old Testament. Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us. Romans 9:5 refers to Jesus as God. Jesus is also called Lord: Old Testament verses attributed to the Lord are attributed to him in the New Testament. When Saul had his miraculous encounter on the road to Damascus, he immediately recognized that the person speaking to him, Jesus, was the Lord, the Yahweh of the Old Testament, the one who spoke to the people from heaven.
Furthermore, Jesus demonstrates the qualities of God: omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, eternity, and immutability. He is sovereign: He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will reign forever; His throne is an eternal throne. History has shown that no earthly government has lasted indefinitely. There have been various earthly kingdoms and rulers: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medes and Persians, Greece, Rome, Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, and others, but all their kingdoms have been destroyed. However, the kingdom of Jesus will be established. His kingdom will be a kingdom of righteousness. There will be no sin, disease, corruption, death, or demons in this kingdom. There will be life, joy, peace, perfection. As God, Jesus is superior to the angels and worthy of worship.
Savior, Redeemer, Liberator
Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for sin. The Bible makes the following truths clear. All have sinned; man is born in sin and chooses to sin. Sin separated and continues to separate man from God. God is a holy God and we cannot enter his presence in a sinful condition. Sin will lead people to hell, which is eternal separation from God in a place of perpetual torment. Besides, good works cannot save me: all my righteousness is like filthy rags. I can never be good enough in myself to get close to God. We were enslaved and needed to be freed as we lacked the ability to free ourselves. Jesus paid the price; He was the one who died at Calvary. It is through his sacrificial death that humanity can be reconciled to God. The Scripture says of believers that we are bought with a price, we no longer belong to ourselves.
The blood of Jesus Christ not only saves me, but continues to cleanse me from all sin. David, in the Old Testament, knew nothing of the blood of Jesus Christ, but when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and was condemned by the ministry of the prophet Nathan, he sincerely repented. Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm of repentance. We are under the new covenant and the Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Believers may fall into sin for various reasons: we may be disappointed; that is the spirit of our age, and believers are not immune to deception. We can make mistakes; perhaps we were in an emotionally vulnerable place and succumbed to the influence of the enemy. We can fall short for any reason. The good thing to know is that while God does not excuse our sin, He does forgive it when we come to Him with sincere repentance.
Jesus is able to deliver from sickness and disease, various bondages and strongholds. Jesus healed people of leprosy, paralysis, fever, demon possession; he raised the dead; He healed a woman of a bleeding disorder that he had had for several years. Jesus is able to free you from anything that paralyzes God’s call on your life, that prevents you from being all that He has called you to be. He can deliver you from drugs, sex, pornography, lies, gossip, greed, pride, rebellion, and disobedience. This is just a representative list, but know that whatever ails you, Jesus has the ability to set you free. Don’t be fooled by the devil. Whom the Son sets free is truly free. The Word declares that you will know the truth and that the truth will set you free. Be free in the name of Jesus!
conclusion
Isaiah had a vision from God. The Bible records that in the year King Uzziah died, I [Isaiah] he saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. [The seraphs cried] “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” That vision had a tremendous effect on the prophet. He declared: “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man with unclean lips, and in the midst of a people with unclean lips I dwell, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” The second effect was that he made himself available for God’s purpose by saying, “Here I am. Send me!”
A vision of Jesus will affect your worship. When you have a vision of the Savior, you will worship passionately; ye shall worship in spirit and in truth. As part of your worship of him, you will give liberally and generously to God’s work. You will also pray for the kingdom of God and that his will be done. A vision of Jesus will affect your service: you will be faithful and committed to the work of the kingdom and to the local church that God has made you a part of. A vision of Jesus will affect the testimony of him. They will become its witnesses, sharing the good news locally, regionally and internationally. Have you seen Jesus? Have you really met Jesus?
