♫ "Ye servants of God, your master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful name;
The name all-victorious of Jesus extol, His kingdom is glorious; He rules over all." ♫
Welcome to the program Truth for the World!
Who was Jesus?
If I asked that question to different people, I would probably get different answers and
there are different answers that are given to that, depending upon who you ask even in
religion.
So today we're going to explore that question, "who was Jesus?" and maybe we can show some
of the ideas about who Jesus is that are false.
We can show how they're false.
If you have your Bibles, why don't you open them and turn with me to the Book of John.
That's going to be the first place we look in just a moment, John chapter twenty.
But again, there are different ideas as to who Jesus was.
Some people even go so far, as to say that Jesus never really existed, there was no one
named Jesus.
Well, we want to look at some of the evidence to see if there was a man named Jesus and
if so, who was he really.
Our first question we should start with is "did Jesus exist?"
Obviously, if there was no one that ever existed named Jesus, there isn't much point in arguing
about what he was like.
Was there a man in history named Jesus or is it all just some imagination or hoax that
some people think some people may think was dreamed up in order to fool the world.
Some people may think he's really just a fictional character, but if you dismiss that idea of
Jesus, you really haven't done your homework.
Because we're going to see that there is some evidence to show that Jesus really did exist.
The Bible of course is one place but it's not the only place we read about him.
We will look at the Bible though in John Chapter twenty starting in verse thirty.
John Chapter twenty.
Starting in verse thirty.
And there we read, "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples
which are not written in this book.
But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and
that believing you might have life through his name."
There was someone named John who wrote and he wrote a book and he says, the reason I
wrote this book is so that you may know that Jesus is the Christ, Christ meaning the Messiah
or the anointed one.
The one who was prophesied about in the Old Testament who would come.
And when he did come he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice of sin so that the penalty
for sin might be paid and we might have a chance at eternal life.
But John says, I wrote down these things so that you would believe.
Now why did John write them down?
How did he have access to this knowledge?
He was an eyewitness.
John was an apostle and eyewitness is great evidence.
And John isn't the only eyewitness; we have multiple writers in the New Testament who
also claim that they were eyewitnesses to Jesus.
In the book of Luke, right in the very first chapter.
In the first few verses of the book of Luke, Luke says, "For as much as many have taken
in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us."
He's going to write down the things that they believe.
"even as they deliver them unto us which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers
of the word."
Luke says we're eyewitnesses.
we're eyewitnesses.
And that is great testimony.
But some people may still doubt and say well, the Bible is a hoax anyway.
The Bible is just made up, so therefore no matter which book you turn to it was all probably
written by the same person or it was all just written by multiple people and it was still
a hoax.
Well, we should probably say first and foremost, if this is a hoax if Christianity is a hoax
and the Bible is a hoax, it's got to be the worst one ever created.
And the people who created it were absolutely stupid.
Because if you think about it, when this Bible was written, especially at least the New Testament
back in the first century and when Christianity started back in the first century, the Roman
government was in power and depending upon which Caesar was in control, some of the Caesars
were absolutely hostile toward Christians.
Nero was one of them.
We know about Nero.
And you have books such as Fox's Book of Martyrs which will relay to you the atrocities that
were done to these Christians: thrown into the arena to be torn apart by lions, and burned
at the stake and so forth and so on.
So imagine if you will, the meeting of a bunch of people who were gathering around the first
century.
If they were really trying to create a hoax.
Imagine yourself at that meeting.
Here's the pitch: Hey guys, let's make everybody think there's this guy named Jesus and that
he's God and we're all going to follow him, and you know what we're going to do?
We're going to deny ourselves, turn our lives over to Christ.
We're going to sell our material possessions.
We're going to give them to the poor.
And we're going to let everyone know that Jesus is Lord and we're going to defy the
Jewish order and the Jewish leaders and we're going to make them really mad.
And then on top of that we're going to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and that's probably going
to make the Roman Government mad and they're going to persecute us and you'll probably
be beaten.
You'll lose your possessions.
You won't be allowed to do trade in the marketplace because you'll be ostracized.
You'll be potentially killed in the arena.
And when you reject that Caesar is God, you'll also potentially be killed.
Now that sounds like a great idea and then who's in?
Who votes that we do that?
Are you kidding me?
Are you really seriously kidding me?
That has to be the worst hoax idea in the history of mankind.
I don't understand how people think Christianity is a hoax.
Because a hoax is something you do to someone else.
And what's the gain that they would get?
According to Christianity, you give up your possessions to the poor when they need them.
And at that time period you risk potentially riling the Jewish leaders and also risk being
killed by the Roman government.
Where's the benefit?
Why would you have a hoax like that just to make people believe that there was a man named
Jesus and that he's God.
What did you hope to accomplish?
In reality, secular history besides the Bible - the Bible is written by eyewitnesses and
it is evidence to show that there was a man named Jesus - but just in case you still believe
that there is no Jesus and that it was all a hoax, let's look at some secular evidence
and by secular we're talking about evidence that comes from outside the Bible.
Here is a quote from Tacitus, and this secular history written by Cornelius Tacitus tells
us about Christianity during this earlier time.
Let's take a look at this quote: "But not all the relief that could come from man, not
all the bounties that the prince could bestow nor all the atonements which could be presented
to the gods availed to relieve Nero" talking about this Roman Caesar "from the infamy of
being believed to have ordered the conflagration" the fire of Rome, you ever heard about Nero
fiddling while Rome burned?
Well here it says all these things could not avail to relieve Nero from this infamy of
being believed to have ordered the fire of Rome.
"Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt and punished with the most
exquisite tortures the persons commonly called Christians who were hated for their enormities.
Christus" another way of saying Christ "the founder of the name was put to death by Pontius
Pilot."
Does that sound anything like the Bible?
Sure it does.
It says there was a man who was called Christ he was put to death by a man named Pilot and
the people that follow him are called Christians.
That matches what the Bible says.
You see, we can even look in secular history and it backs up what the Bible says, making
it look less and less like a piece of fiction and imagination when it matches other writings
of history.
Let's also look at a quote from Lucian of Samosata.
Now this is an excellent piece of evidence and let me explain why.
Because if you were going to make up evidence, you would make up evidence that supports your
cause.
In other words if I were going to make up some evidence that supports the idea that
there was a Christ and Christianity and the Bible is true I might make up some evidence
where this guy from history allegedly wrote all these great things about Christianity.
But in reality Lucian of Samosata aside in his writings ridicules Christianity.
He basically thinks it's idiotic and this is great because this evidence comes from
a source rather that has nothing to gain.
He has nothing to gain from Christianity being true.
He's actually written to ridicule it but what he's done is by ridiculing it, he has verified
the fact that it existed in the first century.
He's verified the fact that Jesus existed in the first century.
Let's read what he says.
Lucian of Samosata.
"The Christians -" again, that's referencing the truth that these Christians existed, he
says "the Christians you know worship a man to this day.
The distinguished personage who introduced their novel rights says as Christians they
worship a man.
There are certain practices that these Christians do and the man was crucified.
On that account."
Just like the Bible says Jesus was.
He goes on to ridicule them and says "You see these misguided creatures start with the
general conviction that they are immortal for all time" that matches the Bible idea
of eternal life.
"Which explains the contempt of death their willingness to be faithful unto death.
Voluntary self devotion which are so common among them.
And then it was impressed on them by their original the law giver that they are all brothers
from the moment they are converted" that matches the Bible too.
Jesus said if you forsake family here on this earth, you'll gain one hundred fold and have
a family of God.
You can be adopted into the family of God.
You can be brothers.
"And they deny the gods of Greece -" Again believing in one God "and they worship the
crucified sage" meaning a wise person.
That right there says who do the Christians worship?
The wise person who was crucified.
Speaking of Jesus Christ.
And they live after his laws.
"All this they take quite on faith with the result that they despise all worldly goods
alike, regarding them merely as common property."
That matches what we read about in Acts chapter two that they sold their possessions and gave
them to the poor when they had need.
You see, this quote here actually backs up much of the Bible, but it comes from a hostile
source.
It comes from someone who is not trying to support Christianity.
It actually comes from someone who is ridiculing Christianity.
But even by writing this down back when he did and recording this back when he did he
ends up verifying that what the Bible said happened really happened and the fact that
there was someone named Jesus who was crucified or as one source called him Christus or we
would say Jesus the Christ and he did live and he was crucified and his followers are
called Christians.
And even some of the beliefs that are mentioned by Lucian here, the fact that you're brothers
when you're converted, that you despise worldly goods or treat them as common property, that
matches what we read happening in the Bible.
So you see the Bible isn't just some fictional imaginary thing that one guy or even a few
guys got together and wrote up, it matches history from other sources.
And we don't have time to go into all the archaeology and historical artifacts and things
that have been found that verify what the Bible says is true.
One example off hand though is the Hittites.
For years people said there were no such people as the Hittites and the Bible was wrong, but
then archeological evidence found the evidence of the Hittites and the Bible had been right
all along.
There was a man named Jesus.
So now that we've seen that, who was Jesus?
If there was a man named Jesus who was he?
In Matthew sixteen let's read verses thirteen and fourteen.
Matthew sixteen verses thirteen and fourteen.
"Jesus asked his disciples who the world thought he was.
When Jesus came into the coast of Caeserea Philippi, He asked his disciples saying 'who
do men say that I the Son of Man I am?'
And then they said, 'Some say you're John the Baptist some Elias and some Jeremiah and
one of the prophets.'"
Well today if we asked the world "who was Jesus?" we'd probably get multiple answers
too.
But first let's notice who Jesus claimed he was.
It's not much good to say who Jesus was if it contradicts who he even claimed to be.
In other words, if we're going to say Jesus is God for example, is that really wise to
do if he never even claimed to be God?
Can we put something on him that he never even claimed himself?
Let's look at John eight, fifty six through fifty seven.
John eight, fifty six through fifty seven.
Jesus says, "'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad.'
Then said the Jews under him 'thou art not yet fifty years old and hast thou seen Abraham?'
Jesus said unto them, 'Verily verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.'"
Now look at that verse.
"Before Abraham was I AM."
Jesus says I existed before Abraham. and he's using that term "I AM" just like God did.
He really may be the same kind of expression just as God did in Exodus when he told Moses,
and Moses asked "Who shall I say sent me?"
God said "I AM sent you."
The existence.
The existence.
God is the existence.
So Jesus here is saying I was alive before Abraham.
I AM.
Well no living human being in the first century was alive before Abraham.
Abraham lived hundreds of years before that.
That's why the Jews said you're not even fifty years old.
How could you how could you have been alive before Abraham?
And he said before Abraham was I AM.
Also in the next verse, John eight verse fifty eight.
Or that's what we just looked at verse fifty eight.
Let's go forward to John eight, fifty nine.
John eight, fifty nine.
That didn't sit too well with them.
They took up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going
through the midst of them and so passed by.
If Jesus was just saying I'm kind of old I'm fifty or sixty they probably just kind of
roll their eyes and be like well, it doesn't look that old, I mean I wouldn't have guessed
he was that old.
But this actually made the leaders very mad.
Why?
Because they thought he was blaspheming because he claimed to be God.
He claimed to be God before Abraham was, I AM.
Well they didn't like that.
That's why they got mad at him.
They thought he was blaspheming claiming to be God.
In Luke Chapter twenty four in verse forty four.
Jesus specifically said that the prophecies related to him.
Let's read that verse.
"And he said to them, 'These are the words which I spake and you while I was yet with
you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the
prophets and in the psalms concerning me.'"
You see Jesus said I'm the messiah that you read about in the Old Testament.
I'm the anointed one.
I am the one that the prophets were talking about.
Jesus claimed to be God.
He claimed to be God.
There's other indications that he claimed to be God in and for example he accepted worship.
When people bow down and worshiped him he accepted it.
He did not reject them.
Other cases in the Bible show us that other people when they were tempted to be worshiped
they rejected it.
Peter in Acts chapter ten: Cornelius bowed before him and Peter said no, I'm just a man.
I'm just a man.
And in the Book of Revelation: John fell down before an angel and the angel said see thou
do it not.
Worship God.
You see that who are you supposed to worship.
Only God.
And Jesus accepted worship.
Jesus claimed to be God.
Now that's a bold claim.
And that's a claim that we have to answer.
If a man says that he is God we have to find out, is he really God or is he not?
Josh McDowell called it the trilemma, I believe, when he said there's three options.
Since Jesus claimed to be God either option one.: he is a liar.
In other words, he knew he wasn't God but he just claimed to be.
Or option two: he was a lunatic.
In other words he claimed to be God, thought he was God.
He really wasn't, he was just off in the head.
Or the only other option is, he claimed to be God and he really was God, and is God.
So let's examine the first option.
Jesus was a liar.
He claimed to be God but he knew that he wasn't, that he was just telling a lie.
That doesn't make sense when we look at the scripture and the evidence because you know
what happens when you lie?
You end up having to tell another lie to cover up the first one and then a third lie to cover
up the second one, and so forth and so on.
But this didn't happen to Jesus.
He didn't have to continue to lie and cover up his story.
When he was on trial they could not find anything that he had done wrong.
He had been teaching for about three years but no one ever was able to catch him saying
something that was a lie.
Look at first Peter chapter two and verse twenty two.
First Peter chapter two and verse twenty two.
It describes Jesus and said who "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
You know what guile is?
It's deceit.
Deceit or slander.
It comes from the idea of a decoy, I believe.
To deceive.
Well when it came to Jesus, they could find no guile in his mouth.
They couldn't find evidence that he had been lying the whole time.
And it's really only a matter of time, if you start lying, eventually your lies, was
we said you have to keep lying to cover up the first one and then another lie to cover
up the next one and somebody may actually expose you with the truth.
Jesus was not a liar.
What about option number two: lunatic.
Maybe Jesus claimed to be God, thought he was God, but he was really just kind of off
in the head and deluded.
Well, Jesus was not a lunatic because when we look at him and his teachings he was very
brilliant.
There's really been perhaps no more profound ethical code that's been given than was given
by Jesus the Christ.
When many people tried to trick him, they found themselves stumped.
When he dealt with people who would accuse him or try to trick him he always won out.
As a matter of fact, one time if you remember they asked him by what authority do you do
these things?
And he said well, let me ask you a question.
The baptism of John is it from heaven or of men?
And that was a brilliant question because those leaders of the day said well, if we
say it's from heaven, He's going to ask us well, why didn't you believe it? and we can't
say it's from men because all these people around here believe it was from heaven and
we'll be ridiculed or they'll get angry at us or whatever.
So they said we can't answer it and Jesus said well then neither do I answer you about
what authority I do these things and the Bible says from that point on I believe it's at
that point it says "they durst not ask him any questions."
That means they quit.
He actually had to stump them to a point where they didn't want to answer anything and after
that they just quit asking him questions.
They said we're done.
We're done.
We can't beat this guy.
We lose every time we try to trick him and stump him we lose.
Do you remember the woman that was caught in adultery when they brought him to her?
They said you know in the Law of Moses she should be stoned.
What do you say?
He said, he that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.
Everyone was convicted by their conscience and walked out.
What brilliance.
No one ever stopped him.
And the mind of a lunatic would not be sane to be able to intelligently defeat all those
people who are trying to trick him and stump him and then profess this high moral code
that we have recorded in the Bible.
It's probably not going to be the ravings of a lunatic or come from the mind of someone
who is not sane.
Well, like it or not, that only leaves one choice: if you claim to be God which he did
claim to be God, then he was either a liar which doesn't seem to fit the facts.
He was a lunatic, which doesn't seem to fit the facts, and that only leaves the third
option: he really was Lord.
He really was who he said he was.
And the miracles and the eyewitness testimony back that up.
In John Chapter three let's read verse two.
John three verse two.
"Nicodemus came to Jesus by night -" and he knew, he knew that he was from God "he said
to him, 'Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from God.
For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him.'"
The miracles that Jesus did, the resurrection, the eyewitness testimony.
There is evidence that Jesus really existed.
And we have the Word of God recorded for us today to let us know what he had to say and
what he was teaching.
And the evidence points rather to the fact that he was Lord as he claimed to be.
He was God, in other words as he claimed to be.
Who was Jesus?
He was a real man.
But he was also God who visited Earth in the flesh as John one fourteen says.
"the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
He was God, He was a man, and he was the Son of God who came to this earth.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
If you are willing to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you can start your journey
toward being saved.
You need to believe and then repent, turn away from your sin to Jesus.
Be one of those Christians, those followers of Jesus.
Repent and then confess your belief that Jesus is God before men.
Jesus said "If you confess me before men I will confess you before my Father which is
in heaven."
Then you need to be immersed under water.
Babtized for the remission of your sins that God would forgive you for your sins.
Then you need to live faithfully following Jesus just like the Christians started doing
back in the first century.
Are you willing to do that?
Are you ready to do that?
If you haven't taken care of those things, why not do it today.
And if you have done those things, but maybe you've been letting sin or some other thing
get in your way of following Jesus don't let anything on earth stop you from missing heaven.
Turn away from the sin, repent of it, ask God to forgive you, and if you're a Christian,
he's faithful and just to forgive you.
Take care of what you need to take care of today.
If you would like to learn more about God's Word with a free Bible correspondence course,
then write us at: Truth For The World, P.O.
Box 5048, Duluth GA 30096, the United States of America.
Or visit us online at truthfortheworld.org.
♫ "Ye servants of God, your master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful name." ♫
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