Who Is Jesus Christ7 [Matt 16 : 15-16] / Ephphatha Church Discipleship Training (Basic Course)

NewZealand / West Side               Moru

 

Who Is Jesus Christ7

[Matt 16 : 15-16]

 

/ Ephphatha Church

Discipleship Training

(Basic Course)

 

 

/ By Pastor Priscilla

 

 

 

Introduction:

 

 

 

Every Christmas, 

even though believers

and unbelievers have

different opinions

 

 

and views about Jesus,

everyone consistently

welcomes and rejoices

at the birth of Jesus.

 

 

However, it's a shame

that Christmas in honor

of the birth of Jesus

has turned into

a worldly festival 

 

 

something like an occasion

that families or communities

gather to have a fellowship

with each other and give

and take gifts happily.

 

 

People rarely has interest

in knowing who Jesus is

and why he was born.

 

 

During his public life,

Jesus asked his disciples,

“Who do people say I am?

 

 

And he asked again,

"What about you?

Who do you say I am?"

 

 

Because many people

at that time did not know

that Jesus is the Savior,

 

 

and some said he was

John the Baptist,

 

 

others said he was Elijah,

and still others said

he was one of the rabbis.

 

 

That's why he asked

 the questions above.

 

 

Today, we are going

to think about following

four things to know

about Jesus.

 

 

1. Who is Jesus?

 

 

Let's take a look at

the main verse of the

scriptures:

 

 

Simon Peter answered,

"You are the Christ,

the Son of the living God."

  [Matthew 16:15-16]

 

 

In these verses

we can see the certain

will of the Holy Spirit

   through Peter's mouth.

 

 

In a word,

the Bible can be seen

as God's love letter

to testify concerning

Jesus to humans.

 

 

The Bible is divided

into the Old Testament

and the New Testament

as the central subject

of 'Jesus Christ'.

 

 

The Old Testament

predicted that a Savior,

 

 

or “Messiah,”

would come

in the future to

save humans. 

 

 

Through Isaiah,

the Holy Spirit says that

Jesus is a Wonderful

Counselor,

 

 

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

 (Isa 9 : 6)

 

 

On the contrary,

the theme of the New

Testament is that

 

 

the Messiah, who was

supposed to come

 

 

to save humans,

was finally born

and came to this

earth.

 

 

John says through the

Holy Spirit that Jesus

came in human form

with the Word

becoming flesh,

 

 

and that

he is with God

as the Word of truth,

 

 

and that he is the Creator

of all things, and that

he came as the light of life.

 (Jn 1 : 1-4, 14, 18)

 

 

Also, Jesus is the Savior

who came to set free

all those who were

slaves to devil.

 (Heb 2 : 14-15)

 

 

Through this, we can see

that even though he came

in the form of flesh,

unlike humans,

 

 

Jesus had a special

nature as the Son of God,

and God Himself.

 (Jn 3 : 2, Matt 14 : 33)

 

 

Nevertheless, in order

to save sinful huams,

Jesus, the Son of God

humbled himself

 

 

and came to this world

as a human being.

        (Phil 2 : 5-8)

 

 

How amazing is

 Jesus' love for us!

 

 

Therefore, like

Peter's confession,

we confess this today:

 

 

"You are the Almighty God,

our Creator, and the Savior

who came in the flesh

to the earth to save

the lowly and humble life

 

 

according to the will

of our Heavenly Father

and to give us freedom

from sin.”

 

 

2. What is the status

and mission of Jesus

 that Jesus' name implies?

 

 

Jesus has

three names.

 

 

1) Savior

-The one who

will save mankind 

 

 

-The one who will save

his people from sin.

    (Matt 1 : 21)

 

 

2) Immanuel

- God who is with us

 (Matt 1 : 23)

 

 

3) Messiah

- Messiah, Christ

- the Anointed one

 (Jn 1:41)

 

 

In other words,

Jesus is a prophet,

high priest, and the

one who fulfills

his job as king.

 

 

Christ is a name

with a job. It means

'the anointed one'

and in Hebrew

the Messiah'.

 

 

Immanuel is a name

for identity, and shows

that God the Almighty,

 

 

or the Son of God dwells

among us in the

form of flesh. 

 

 

Therefore, we should

never forget that Jesus is

with us (Immanuel),

 

 

and that He saves

our sins (Savior)

and that He anoints

us (Messiah).

 

 

3. What did Jesus do

when He came into

 the world?

 

 

Jesus lived on this earth

for 30 years, and He

prepared for ministry,

 

 

and especially during

His three years

of public life,

 

 

Jesus performed

four kinds of ministry.

 

 

1) Preaching

- He came to preach

the Gospel. (Lk 4 : 43)

 

 

2) Teaching

- He came to teach

the truth. (Matt 7 : 28)

 

 

3) Healing

- He healed those

who were oppressed

by the devil.

 

 

- He did good things

    (Acts 10: 38)

 

 

4) Resurrection 

- He came to testify

concerning the

 resurrection.

 

 

- He suffered

from the cross.

 (Matthew 16:21)

 

 

Above all, it is the

most important purpose

of Jesus' ministry

 

 

and the reason he

came to the world

that Jesus came to

 

 

this earth to testify

concerning the

resurrection.

 

 

Jesus came to give

his life as a ransom

by serving, and

  he did this.

 (Matt 20 : 28)

 

 

He sacrificed himself

and became a grain

of wheat in order to

produce many fruits

on this earth.

 (Jn 12 : 23-24)

 

 

Jesus came to die

on the cross in the place

 

“Golgotha” (which means

The Place of the Skull)

with a shabby

appearance.

 (Jn 19 : 17)

 

 

 

However, he died and

was resurrected

 on the third day,

 

 

 

and ascended to heaven,

He is the Savior of the

soul who is alive and

 at work even now.

 

 

4. Who do you say

Jesus Christ is?

 

 

“Jesus is the Savior

of my eternal soul,

who took my sins

 

 

and died on the cross

and rose again with

the power of

resurrection."

 

 

What was the most

important thing

Jesus did?

 

 

- He died on the

  cross for my sins.

 

 

So, like Peter's

 confession, we will

sincerely confess

   this today:

 

 

"You are the Christ,

the Son of the living God."

(Matt 16 : 15-16)

 

 

Jesus who opened the

way of salvation to me!

 

 

 

There is only one way

of salvation only

through Jesus Ghrist!

 

 

You are the Almighty

Son of God, and you

are my Creator.

 

 

You are the Savior

of my eternal soul,

who came to earth

in the flesh to save me

from my lowly

 

 

and humble life,

especially from my sins,

according to Heavenly

Father's will.

 

 

Therefore, I praise

Jesus with all my heart,

who came as the way,

 the truth, and the life!  

 

 

-Sellah. 

 

-Amen.

Hallelujah!

 

 

 

2020/12/24

 

/ By Priscilla