¶ Introduction to Jesus's Identity
Caruso exists to tell people about the good news of Jesus Christ , but somehow in our information-jacked world , culture has moved further away from understanding who the most famous person in history really is .
Millions of books and articles have been written about a carpenter who lived in the Middle East 2,000 years ago , and Jesus has been identified as anything from a desert mystic to God himself . Historically , he was born into a Jewish family in Judea at the time the Roman Empire controlled the area .
Born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth , jesus was 30 before he gained a reputation as a great
¶ More Than a Teacher
teacher . But he was much more than that . The Bible tells us that he was sent into the world by God , the Father , to stand in our place and take the penalty for our sin . According to Genesis , man defied God's template for living and because he is holy , god requires that someone is accountable for sin .
Had Jesus not entered the world , we'd be left without a way to reconcile with God . Long story short , jesus Christ is much more than just a wise teacher . He's also the
¶ Jesus as Divine Being
Son of God . The Bible also tells us Jesus is one with the Father . Remember when Moses encountered God in the burning bush ? He asked God how to identify him to the people . And God replied I am who I am . And that was in the Old Testament , in John 8.58 in the New Testament , jesus tells the people truly , truly , I say to you before Abraham was , I am .
Jesus Christ is a divine being .
¶ The Gospel's Challenge
John 1 29 says the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said look , the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world . This description of him is not embraced by most people around the world . The Bible tells us that man's heart is wicked . It isn't like billions are rushing to churches so that they can have their sins forgiven .
The human mind and heart don't want to focus on the messier side of the gospel . We're imperfect , we sin , and our sin is an offense to God . Who wants to hear that ? We don't want to be told that we're not good . We want to be told we're good and worthy of God's love .
And the good news , the gospel in the person of Jesus Christ , is that we have the pathway to be like
¶ Closing Prayer
him . Romans , chapter 8 , tells us that it is God's desire that we become like Jesus , and that's a goal worth reaching for . Let's pray , father . Thank you for providing us with your word that tells us exactly who Jesus is and what his life means to us . You could have abandoned us to sin , but you didn't .
The praise and the glory belong to you alone , in Jesus' name amen .