Video Transcript: Who is the Real Jesus?

If there is salvation and none other than what we believe about Jesus matters, it matters if he was God in the flesh or not. It matters whether or not he was resurrected from the dead, whether or not he died for sin. These things are important issues, the culture in which we live, very few people would argue that there is no Jesus. 

However, most people who would say that they believe in Jesus would say that they believe he's a good man, or a good teacher, or a good profit. But not necessarily that he was the divine Son of God, who wrapped himself in flesh, who died on an old rugged cross was resurrected the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and is coming back again, to claim his own and judge the living and the dead. That is who he is. 

There are very few people who would argue that Jesus didn't exist. Most people would say that they believe in Jesus. Most people have some very strong ideas and convictions about who Jesus is, or in their minds who Jesus was. And oftentimes, you know, they'll say, Well, you know, of course, of course, I believe in Jesus and he was a good man, he was a good teacher, he was a good profit, so on so forth. 

But in this age of relativism, in this age, of philosophical pluralism, where we argue that there are no absolutes and what's true for you may not necessarily be true for me, there are people who have taken this tack, you know, Jesus, to you may be one thing, but Jesus to me, is quite another. People will describe and define Jesus in unbiblical terms, and will say not, that's the wrong one. But we'll say, well, that's your interpretation. That's what we use to you. 

Newsflash, Jesus is not up for interpretation. I am decorated dust, I don't have the right to interpret Jesus. I'm here today gone tomorrow. My life is but a vapor. I don't have the right to say, I don't like this about the biblical Jesus. So I will redefine him. No, he is who he is. Which is by the way who he was, and who he always shall be. 

So the question is not who was Jesus? To me? The question is, who is Jesus period? And in order to examine that question, and the significance of this issue, open your Bibles to the scripture in the book of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Go look at those first 10 verses, in First Corinthians chapter 15. Get away from this subjective idea of who Jesus is. And allow the scriptures to speak for themselves. 1verse 20 Corinthians chapter 15. It's interesting, you know, I have conversations with people all the time about this, Jesus. And I'll get that answer that same answer that I always get in some form or fashion. Jesus was good, man. Good teacher, good prophet. And that's where people want to stop. Yeah, he was a great prophet. He was a great man, he had this great message. 

And I just feel like I told you last night, that again, I don't know if this is a reflection on my character or what. But when people say that, something on the inside of me just kind of starts jumping around, it just gets all excited. Good, man. Good teacher, good profit. And I had to sort of contain myself. That's a really that's what you believe. And they go Yeah, that's what I believe that Okay, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Good, man. Good teacher. Good profit. Can I ask you a couple more questions? Sure. You believe Jesus was God in the flesh? Well, no. Okay, right now I'm getting a little bit more happy. Okay. You believe in God. I presume that was resurrected on the third day? 

No. Now I'm like not to shout on the inside. You believe he's coming back? Bodily? Well, no, I just believe he was, you know, just a good man. And he's a good teacher, and a good profit. All the rest of that stuff. You know, I just saw, okay, okay. Okay, fine. Can I help you real quick with something. You say you believe Jesus is a good teacher? Well, yes. Okay. Jesus taught that he was going to be crucified and then resurrected. So if Jesus was not crucified, and then resurrected, He is not a good teacher, he is a false teacher. 

Last time I checked, false teachers are not good teachers. Another thing that Jesus taught was that he's the only way for us to get to God. If you don't believe those other things, you don't believe Jesus is the only way to get to God, if He taught that he was the only way to get to God. And there is any other way to get to God, he is a false teacher. Now, on the other hand, you said you believe Jesus was a good profit. By this time, it looks timid. Yeah, did kind of say that that's fine. No problem. But this, Jesus also prophesied that He was going and he was coming back. You also say that you don't believe that this, Jesus is coming back. 

If you don't believe that this, Jesus is coming back. And he prophesied that He was coming back, you got the same problem that you had with the teacher, because if he says he's coming back, and he's not coming back, that makes him a false prophet. And the last time I checked, there is a difference between a false prophet and a good profit. You also say you believe that Jesus is good man. By this time, they want it to stop. But you know, we can't do that. You said, he's a good man. But you said that you don't believe that He was God in the flesh. This good man said, I and My Father are one. This good man said, you've seen me you've seen the Father. This good man claimed divinity for himself in multiple ways, and even allowed himself to be worshipped as God. That last time I checked, a man who claims to be God and is not is either delusional or he is an outright liar.

And once again, there is a distinction between a delusional, outright liar and a good man. So here's the issue. You cannot say on the one hand, Jesus is good man, good teacher, and good prophet, and on the other hand, deny that he's God, that He died for sin, that he was resurrected, that he's coming back again, and that he's the only way for us to get to heaven. You cannot have it both ways. 

That is completely and utterly inconsistent from a logical perspective. Can't do it. I will let you. He won't let you the Bible won't let you. We don't get to do that, folks. But that's what people want to do. And that's what we've become comfortable with in our culture, this sort of doublespeak, if you will, where on the one hand, we want to pay homage to this great man, Jesus. But on the other hand, we want to downplay or deny everything that he said about himself. And that was proclaimed about him in the scriptures. 

You can't have it like that. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. First of all, I want to point out the futility of that kind of thinking, look at what he says here in these first two verses. Now I make no to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you receive, in which also you stand by which also ye are saved, if you hold fast, that word which I preached to you unless you have believed in vain, quite simple. Paul says, I proclaim the gospel to you, if you grab on to the gospel as it was proclaimed to you, and you make that the foundation upon which you build your life, you're saved. 

However, if you move away from the gospel as it was proclaimed, your belief is in vain. And salvation is none existed. You cannot gather up a separate set of beliefs that you just feel comfortable with, that do not coincide with apostolic teaching, and believe that you are fine because you've made yourself comfortable clearly stated right here in verse two. You do that you believed in vain. You do that your belief is meaningless. Your belief is empty. Doesn't matter how much faith you have. If the object of your faith doesn't exist. It's meaningless and And it's empty, and it's hopeless. 

Now he's talking very specifically here, we'll see in a few moments about the resurrection. So specifically, what he's saying is, if you don't believe in the resurrection, you're not a Christian. If you don't believe in the resurrection, you're not saved. And I know that there are many who want to redefine Christianity. We talked about some of these gentlemen in the Jesus Seminar, who wants to deny, on the one hand, the resurrection, and on the other hand, embrace Christianity. People like Bishop Spong, who wants to move toward a non theistic view of God, don't ask me what he means by a non theistic view of God. 

I've read everything he wrote about a non theistic view of God, I still don't understand what he means. And I don't think he understands what he means. What he wants to do was, on the one hand, deny everything from the historic Christian faith, and on the other hand, continue to call himself a Christian, biblically, you can't do that. It's not allowed. You do that in your faith is vain. You do that your faith is empty, you do that and your faith is meaningless. We don't get to redefine it on our own terms, based on what we like, or what we don't like, or how we feel. God defines himself as the first thing. 

Now to this issue of the resurrection, more specifically, who Jesus is like what he says beginning of verse three, for as delivered to you as a first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture. So the first thing, Christ died for our sins according to the scripture. He is the essence of the message. The essence of the message is Christ came into this world, God wrapped himself in flesh, the purpose be to die for our sins on the cross. 

He also says that this happened according to the Scriptures. Turn with me to the left to Isaiah chapter 53. Let's begin at verse three, talking about the suffering servant here. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem him Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows He carried, yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, but he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well being fell upon him, and by his scorching we are healed. 

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. Christ died for sin, according to the scripture. You see, we had a problem. The problem is we are sinners. We are sinners by nature and by choice. I know there are a lot of people who believe that man is basically good. However, I would argue that those people who would state that man is basically good. Do not have kids.

Little kids, man, they'll just lie. What did you touch that plug? no sir, that he told you not to touch that plug. You just plugged in, No sir. Okay, so I'm gonna help you out real quick, that he saw you touch the plug. Let me ask you again. Did you touch plug? I love you so much. I wish I was making it up y'all. Soon as part of the package, until we are, the problem is our God is holy. And he is just and he must punish sin. It's just as nature. Just like like repels darkness, the holiness of God repel sin, since gotta be punished. He's the one who determined that the wages of sin is death. Interesting thing about that is that that death has eternal consequences. 

We die in our sin, we die separated from God. And so the only thing for us to do, the only hope that we have is that somehow that price should be paid without us having to die. If we die in our sin. That price is paid by us throughout eternity separated from God, so somebody has to die on our behalf. Now, I know we would love to think that what we could do is get somebody to die for us. Now you think that there are people in this world who love you enough to die for you? You start taking your mama off the list, and a couple of other folks off the list. Trust me, they probably don't love you that much. Here's the other problem. Even if they did, they have their own sin to pay for. 

So if they die, your sin is still not taken care of. So someone has to die, who doesn't have sin to pay for on their own? Maybe we can find somebody throughout history, maybe one of these incredible biblical characters. Abraham, Would you die for my sin? Nope, can't do it. Why? You gotta lion problem. Somebody's gotta die for mine. Moses, Would you die for my sin? Love to but I'm kind of a murderer. Somebody's gotta die for mine. No, drinking thing man, I just you know, bad had a bad day. Nope.

Then who? Only one? Jesus. The only one who lived a sinless life who didn't have sinned to pay for on his own. He's the one who paid for our sins. As you go to your group discussion, understand that there is an important distinction between who Jesus is to you and who Jesus is. The fact of the matter is, if we don't understand who he is, from a biblical perspective, then our opinions really don't matter very much