Jesus Is God

I love this collection, and I just wanted to say today as we step into it, that this collection of talks, Jesus and His own words, is partly for us as a house, but I'm assuming that most people at Passion City Church today came to church because you believe in Jesus. and you believe He's the Savior of the world. You believe the things that we sing about Him today and most of you have taken the step of entrusting your life and your eternity into His hands.

But you live in a world, amen, we're not everybody holds the exact same view that you do. And so I'm wanting in this collection to encourage us in our faith, but I'm also wanting to equip you for the world that you live in. so that as conversations happen around the dinner table or somebody at the cubicle down the way at work or somebody that you work out with says, well, I don't know what I think and somebody else has an opinion about what they think that you'll have a

Way to give a reasonable answer to people not based on what you think or what your pastor thinks but on what Jesus thinks. and what Jesus has said. Unfortunately, we have the greatest, most reliable, ancient text in existence with eyewitness accounts of the things that Jesus did, the way that he lived his life, and the things that he said. And I love taking Jesus at his word and being able to share Jesus' word with the people around us. Even Albert Einstein had something to say about Jesus. When I say that, I'm looking around a lot of young people in the room right now. Does anyone know who Albert Einstein was? Hello? Okay, I'm not convinced yet.

Can we see a show of hands if you know who Albert Einstein is? Okay, that's very encouraging. That's like 80% of the people at church today. Albert Einstein, obviously one of the greatest physicists of all time, E equals MC squared. And Albert Einstein was interviewed in 1929 for an article in the Saturday Evening Post. And he was asked this question, to what extent are you influenced by Christianity?

He answered as a child, I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew that I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. Have you read Emil Ludwig's book on Jesus? He answers, Emil Ludwig's Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bond mat.

I had to go look up what a bond mat was. Apparently you might need to also. That's just a dig. Just a little clever, And he goes, oh, Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase mongers, however artful, because no man can dispose of Christianity with a little clever dig. And he says, you accept the historical existence of Jesus unquestionably. No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word.

No myth is filled with such life. How different, for instance, is the impression we receive from the account of legendary heroes of antiquity, but they lack the authenticity and the vitality of Jesus. Ludwig Luishan, the interviewer, goes on to say, in one of his recent books, claims that many of the sayings of Jesus paraphrase the sayings of other prophets.

In Einstein replies, no man can deny the fact that Jesus existed, nor that his sayings are beautiful. Even if some of them have been said before, no one has expressed them so divinely. as he. I was loving that interview right down to the very last part. What I felt like Jesus was reduced once again to what so many people think that he is a wonderful, beautiful, wise, engaging, transformational, divinely inspired person in history. But in the end,

Jesus is just another messenger, just another prophet. And that's what many people will say about Jesus. Incredible teacher, incredible moral leader, transformational figure in history. One of the most iconic people in all of history But they'll say about Jesus, you know, the one thing that's true about him is that he never claimed to

Be God. Just another messenger, just another prophet, but beautiful and divinely expressive prophet at that, even in the Quran. And Jesus has mentioned many times in the Quran. Issa is the name of Jesus in Arabic and in this particular text, it says that about him, what so many people might say. Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger.

Many were the messengers that passed away before him. Interesting. that many people will accept that Jesus is a prophet, that Jesus is a messenger. And then they'll put the caveat in and they'll maybe even say to you, but if you read your Bible, you'll discover that Jesus never actually said that he was God.

And so today I wanna take on that thought and let Jesus speak for himself. In the Gospels, Jesus makes seven powerful I.M. statements. And these are the big I.M. statements of Jesus. And this is what he says about himself. He says, I am the way The truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. Yeah, but he didn't say he was God. Number two statement here, he says, I am the resurrection and the life. This is what Grant preached so powerfully last week. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? I mean the third one, still didn't say he was God.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Number four. And Jesus spoke to them again saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. And then we come over to number five. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. I know, but he didn't say it was God. Number six, and Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. We're going to have a whole talk on this. It's going to be so beautiful and powerful. He who comes to me shall never hunger And he who believes in me shall never thirst.

Powerful, beautiful, amazing truths, but he didn't say he was God. Maybe we've got one more. I am divine. You are the branches. If you remain in me and I am you, you will bear much fruit. apart from me you can do nothing. Jesus makes seven powerful propositional statements where he's proposing something about himself. These are propositional truths and the key to each one of them obviously is the way he uses the word Z. He says, I am the resurrection and the life, not a resurrection or a life. I am the way, not a way. I am the truth, not a truth. I am the life, not a life. He's setting himself apart. with propositional truth, and he's setting himself apart to be exclusive in these propositional truth claims.

It would be like if at the place you work out or where you do your Pilates or wherever you're hanging out that you would say, I'm the fittest person at my gym. That is a very clear propositional truth that you have to back up. Now it would be a lot. broader, maybe more accurate, if you said, I'm one of the fittest people at my gym. Or maybe you were saying, I'm the most organized mom in our neighborhood.

Maybe a little bit different if you said, I'm one of the most organized moms in the neighborhood. And Jesus is warning us to see in these seven propositional truth claims that he is the way, not a way, but he's also wanting us to see in each one of them where he says, I am, I am, I am, I am, I am, I

Am, he's wanting us to understand it. It's not just about what he can do. He's trying to help us understand who he is. And so he's opening these truths claims with and identification about himself, I am the way. That's an exclusive statement when I said, I am the way and I didn't say I am a way, but the emphasis isn't just that if you hang around me, you'll get the way. The emphasis is on me, not just what I can do, but the focus is on who he is. You're like, well, help me get to the part where he says he's God. And so we do. We see that also in John 8.

John 8 is an incredible text. Jesus is on the temple mound. This is a text where the woman caught an adultery is thrown down at Jesus' feet and that whole dynamic conversation happens. And then you read on down and the audience primarily is being taught by Jesus about his relationship with his father And the Jewish listener to what he's teaching right now is thinking about their relationship to their spiritual father who is Abraham. And so that's kind of the conversation we're dropping into in this moment. And they're not loving what he's saying at this point, and we see that in verse 48, that Jews answered him, aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon possessed?

And he says, I'm not possessed by a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. I'm not seeking glory for myself, but there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you whoever obeys my word will never see death. Now this is where the conversation got interesting for them. At this day exclaim, now we know that your demon possessed. Abraham died, our spiritual father, and so did the prophets. Yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father, Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. They were coming back to that word again. So did all the messengers, and surely that's what you are.

You're a messenger, just like all the other messengers, and they all died, but you're telling us that if anyone follows you, that somehow you're not going to die? Look at their question, who do you think you are? Wow, that was a fantastic question. And now I think he's starting to think, you know what? I think I'm gonna have to tell him. I think, you know, I've been trying to show him, and I've been teaching in parables, and I've been asking him to be quiet about some of the miracles that I've been doing, but now here I am on the temple mount. I'm in one of the most visible places that you can be in on planet Earth, and they're asking me, who do you think you are?

So he replied, if I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My father whom you claim is your God is the one who glorifies me, though you do not know him. I know him. If I said I did not, I'd be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad. You are not yet 50 years old, they said to him. And you have seen Abraham? You see how confusing this is to their mindset?

And so he says to them verse 58, very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I

Am. That's a pretty weird grammar right there. Before Abraham was born, I am. They're asking him, what are you talking about? Abraham died, all the prophets died. You say if we follow you, that you're not gonna die, and if we follow you, that we wouldn't die, who do you think you are? Are you think you're greater than Abraham? You're not even 50 years old, now you're telling us that you've seen Abraham? How is all this working? And then Jesus finally just pulls the veil back, pulls the curtain back, and he says, before Abraham was born, I am. This word I am or these two words I am, they mean it to exist.

What he was saying to them in this context was before Abraham was born, I exist. And as soon as he said it, it brought to the Jewish mind Moses at that burning bush. Moses is being called by God to go to Pharaoh and to lead the people of God out of Egypt. And he doesn't feel prepared. He doesn't feel up to the task.

He's going to convince anybody that the bush really burned it. It didn't burn up. There was a voice that called to him by name that the ground was holy. Took a shoes off. God spoke to him, called him, appointed him and sent him He's like, how are they gonna believe me when I go to them? How are the people gonna believe that all this really happened? And when they say, who are you talking to and what God sits you on this mission, what am I gonna say? And every Jewish mind would be thinking this in this moment. It would take them back to this moment in Exodus 3 in verse 14 when God answered Moses and said to him for the first time what his name was.

And he said, here's what you tell him. God said to Moses, I am who I

Am. One Hebrew word, Hayah. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you. What a name. What a name. It's the first time God is using this name. It's the first time he's telling anybody this name and he's saying, I am, it's the verb to be. He's saying, I be.

He's really just saying be. If you want to tell him who's sent you, tell him be sent you. I am God in this moment. I've always been God and I'm always gonna be God. I've existed since eternity passed. I exist now and I'm going to exist into eternity future. I am the God who has no beginning in the God who has no ending. I exist. That is my name. My name is I am that I am.

And they said to this prophet, so they thought, and who do you think you are? And he said, before Abraham was born, I am. And in that moment, make no mistake, Jesus was claiming to be God. He had made these propositional truth claims. I am the way I am divine. I am the door. I am the good shepherd. But now he's making a definitional truth claim. And he is saying literally before Abraham was born, I exist. So what is going to be written about me is true. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. He has no beginning and he has no end. He is the beginning and he is the end.

I exist is what he's saying to them. I am God and they understood that he was claiming to be God because at this they picked up stones to stone him but Jesus had himself slipping away from the temple grounds. As soon as he made this definitional identity claim of being I am that I am. They're like, you are a blasphemer, and you're gonna die right here for claiming to be God. So when someone says to you, you know, Jesus made all these claims in the Bible, and he said all these amazing things in the Bible, but he never actually claimed that he was God. You need to help them make the connection between the burning bush and the temple mount.

So that they can understand what he meant when he said, I am. CS Lewis famously has said about Jesus and about what people want to say about him. He said, I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing. that people often say about him, talking about Jesus, which is, I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic on the level of the man who says 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 a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can 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 has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

In other words, what C.S. Lewis is saying, and what Jesus was saying is this isn't a situation where you just get to pick your profit.

This is Jesus saying, I am God. Not just a messenger from God, I am God. I do have a message but I'm not just the messenger. The message that I have is that I am God. And his propositional truth statements, they're supported and brought to life by his definitional truth statement that he is God. When he says, I am the way He's not saying, if you follow me, I'll give you the plan. If you follow me, I'll show you how to get there. When he says, I am the way, he's saying, I am not going to show you how to get to God. I want to show you that you're looking at God.

When he says, I am the door, he's not saying, if you stick around with me, I'll help you pick whether it's door number one or door number two or door number three and I'll help you out with that. He's saying, no, if you want to know God, you're looking at God and if you want to get to God, I'm the doorway to me. He says, I'm the true vine. I'm the true vine. He's not saying, if you stick around with me, I'll get you to a really good vineyard and get you the best vintage and get you a really great bottle.

Now he's saying, if you come to me, I'm the true vine. And if you come to me, you'll be connected to God.

Not pointed towards a place where you can get God, but you'll actually be connected to

God. I just prayed today that this will land on somebody, land on all of us. He said, when he's saying, I am the good shepherd, he's not saying I'm someone you should consider. He's saying, I'm the only one you should consider. If you're looking for ultimate care, ultimate protection, ultimate pasture, you want to ultimately arrive at the ultimate destination for which you were created, then I'm not someone you should consider. I'm the only one you should consider,

Because I exist. I have, I do, and I always will exist. Is anybody in Christ at Passion City Church today? Does anybody have Christ at Passion City Church today? Trilis, anybody have Christ at Trilis? Anybody have Christ at 515 today? This is powerful.

It means that you are connected to God, not that you have the phone number of a prophet in your phone. that you are actually joined to God. It means that you are now in Christ found in God, not trying to make it to God.

Thank you. I missed you because I was looking down, but could you just give me a little wave, so I know. Thank you so much. God bless you. I pray favor on your family. I pray everything you do increases. I pray that doors will open before you. That it will blow your mind and opportunity. I pray that you will be blessed.

And I pray that you'll multiply in a thousand of you will come to this church.

This is where people were like, I was thinking about saying it. It means if you're in Christ, I'll say it again. You don't need to amen or say hello to you. We all get it. It means that in Christ you are now found in God.

Not that you are trying to make it to God. You talk in Christ directly to God

And you know directly what God says. You honor God and today we came to worship God. not a prophet, not a messenger, not a preacher. We came to honor God and to worship God. You are loved by God.

You don't just get instructions from God, although you do. You don't just get instructed by a teacher or a messenger, you are loved by God. God died for you.

The one who's the same yesterday, today, and forever, that means he died for you yesterday His death is good for you today, and his death will always be enough for you. Because he was slain before the foundation of the world. Before you were born, he existed. Before you ever even thought about him, he existed. Before you ever even thought it was possible to know him, he existed. before you failed him, he existed. Before you collapsed into your own self effort and self wisdom and self deciding he existed. before you saw the cross, he existed. Before you thought about saying yes to his success in defeating death and hell and sin in the grave, he existed.

Before you failed in life, he existed. And can I tell you, before you hit it big in life, he existed.

Before the phone call came that changed your family's life, he existed. He is God. And I'm just asking today, does anybody know Jesus?

Do you know Him? Well, if you know Him, you know that God rose for you. You know that God has set His spirit in you. You know that God washed you. You know that God lives in you. You know that God leads you. You know that God lights your path. That God fills you. God heals you. God holds you. You don't just have a transformational teacher in your story. You have a transformational God in your story. God is with you. God is for you. God will not leave you. God knows you. God forgives you. God disciplines you. God chose you. God saved you. God sealed you. God invited you. God called you. God blessed you.

God gifted you. God anoint you. God rules over you. God is your God. Do you know him?

Or do you just know some of the sayings of the messenger? And if heard that the messenger, the messenger man can do some things.

Can you quote a few of the messenger's teachings or do you know him? And is he God in your life?

He wasn't looking for Many affirmation that day in the temple mount. He knew who he was. And he knew that before Abraham was born, he existed. He knew that he was God. The question today is, is he your God? The question today isn't, have you heard of Jesus? Albert Einstein had heard of him and thought

There was some kind of fascination with the luminary from Nazareth. Question day is not, have you heard of Jesus? The question isn't, do you believe he existed? No reasonable historian, believer, unbeliever, doubts the existence of Jesus. The question isn't, did you go to Sunday school? The question isn't, did you go to Bible study? The question isn't, do you know John 316? The question isn't, Do you have, you know, that picture of Jesus in your mind? The question isn't, have you seen the TV show? The question isn't, did you go to the movie? The question is do you know that he is your God?

And if you do, and I know the world is filled with many troubles, but if you do know him,

Could you remind me what a movable mountain is in your life? Because there's nothing he can't overcome. Not even death itself.

I don't want to just be somebody who knows some of the words of the messenger. I want to walk through this life knowing I know God. His name is Jesus, and he is in my life, and I am in his, we are connected. He is the true vine, and guess what? I am one of the branches,

And I know him. Depression's real, but it's not bigger than my God. Darkness is real, but it's not bigger than my God challenge as they come, but they are not bigger than my God. Cancer is real, but it is not bigger than my God. The grave, they really do dig them, but they are not bigger than my God.

Nothing can come against me that is greater than the one who exists. And I want to worship him. The great I am.

Who was and who is and who is to come. Hallelujah.