The apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia that God sent His Son to rescue us, so that we’d no longer be slaves to this world but sons and daughters of the King—so that we’d be heirs of His everlasting kingdom (Gal. 4:4-7).

Jesus came to earth as a human being to identify with our struggles and to redeem us from sin through His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus did that for us so that we could spend an eternity with Him in heaven. Dr. Stanley uses Scripture to answer common questions about Jesus.

start your day off. Right with the free in touch, devotional subscribe today when you hear the name, jesus, what comes to mind? Well I can tell you what come to mind depends upon what you think about him, how much you know about him and what kind of relationship you have with it. Now, many people have a wonderful relationship with jesus. He’s their savior. Lord master. Many other people when they hear his name, they’re turned off. I wonder why anybody would turn off the name of jesus when he’s the son of God, when he never made a mistake, he never sinned. And even the people who just hate his name do not say I hate him because he did this or he did that. But it’s something deep down inside of them that would cause them not to appreciate and to love the Lord jesus christ. So I’d ask you this, what do you think about? What place does he have in your life? If somebody should ask you who is this, jesus, what would you say would you say? Well he’s the savior of the world, he’s the Lord, I trusted him as my personal savior. I have eternal life and he’s with me every day. He heals me in my sickness and answers my prayers and he’s in heaven and that’s who I think he is. If that’s all you can say, you have a lot to learn this morning. The primary purpose of this message is simply this. To give you an understanding of who is this jesus. So when somebody confronts you or when somebody says, you know, I don’t I don’t believe in him. And the usually I can’t tell you why. I want to give you some reasons why you can tell them why you believe that. Jesus christ is the son of God, the only savior there is unlike any and all other religious figures, and he is the king of all kings. And one day we’ll all stand before him as our judge. Why do we believe that? So, I want to ask you to get your bible out. And if you’re at home, get yourself a pencil and a piece of paper or pen. And I want to encourage you to write down the headings of this message and also the scriptures. Now, I’m not gonna tell you to write down everything you were going to say about the scriptures, but just jot them down. And then be honest enough to ask yourself the question, who is this, jesus that I believe in, or who is this, jesus, I have rejected all of my life. And first of all, I want to say that Jesus lived before he was conceived in his mother’s womb. He lived before he was conceived in his mother’s womb. He was pre existent that is before his birth. He existed. So let’s go back to the very first book of the Bible. And let’s go back to the very first chapter in the Bible and listen to what he says in the 26th verse, then God said, having described this creation, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. And let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every living thing that creeps on the earth. Well, let me ask you a question. Who is us? Somebody says, well, angels, no angels don’t create anything. When God said, let us he could not mean but one thing God, the father God, the Son God, the Holy Spirit, the three the three persons that make up the trinity, that is one God. Let us make man in our image. So if you will turn to john, chapter one for a moment and let’s look at what john says about jesus and notice and I want to explain a couple of words or so here He says, Verse one of Chapter one in the beginning was the word. And the way john said this, he said it in a very perfect way when he uses the term word here. It means when he says in the beginning was the word, it doesn’t mean something happened back there, but in the beginning of time, Jesus was there, he’d been there in eternity past. He didn’t just start there, listen to what he says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Jesus is referred to here as the word and he was with God and he was God. So the claim here is as john says that he and the father were one and we’ll come to that later. He was in the beginning with God and all things came into being through him and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. Listen, when you start with genesis 11, right here, Jesus was back to an eternity past with him. What other religious leader in the world has existed before, time ever began? None whatsoever. That puts jesus in a whole different position than any other religious leader who has ever lived in the beginning was the word, not a dot, but a present tense and imperfect tenses degree. He was going on before that. So, uh the scripture says also in Luke chapter one, the 31st verse when Gabriel came to speak to Mary, the Bible says that Jesus was named by the father given to him by the angel Gabriel, he named jesus is this sun? It’s it’s gonna be a boring to you. His name jesus. Then he says not only that his kingdom will have no end. And so jesus was not your normal baby. And many people still have jesus in the crib listen, that’s the living God. His entrance into the world was in the form of a baby. He never ceased to be God, even though he was in the form of a baby. Now, One of the things that would stir up the Pharisees and sentences and make them hate him is something like this. Look in John Chapter eight for a moment and When Jesus Speaks is speaking here and this 8th chapter and notice if you will in this um Let’s start with verse verse 58, listen to what’s happening. Um He’s talking to the jewish rabbis and so forth, verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. So the jews said to him, you’re not yet 50 years old. How have you seen Abraham listen to this, Jesus said to them truly, truly, I said to you before Abraham was born, I am not, I was, but I am because he’s always been and listen to what they did. Therefore they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. They could not stand the thought that he said that he lived before Abraham did, but of course he did. And then in the 17th chapter of john look there for just a moment, 17 chapter of john and the 24th verse listen to what he says, Father says, Jesus praying, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am. So that they see, may see my glory of which you have given me for. You loved me before the foundation of the world. You either have to believe that Jesus christ is who he says is or is not. So if he’s ever lied about one thing you could, you could absolutely discredit him. He says Before Abraham was way back in 2006 years ago, he said, I am and he says you loved me. He says the father loved me before the foundation of the world. So when somebody says, who is this, jesus, well, he’s not just a baby. So Abraham was backyard thousands of years ago, Jesus was back beyond him in eternity past. So when somebody says, well, when did jesus begin, he had no beginning. Well how do you understand that? I don’t claim to understand that for the simple reason that the bible says that God has reserved some things for himself that he will not reveal. And so therefore uh put it this way, the bible is very clear that Jesus existed back before Abraham. And he listened, he and the father and the Holy Spirit created all of this, all the constellations and everything up yonder, that that go in such perfect order. So somebody says, well, I don’t, I don’t believe that God created us. Well sir, tell me who do you think created it? Well, I don’t think anybody created it because you can’t exceed God. Well then how do you think it got there? It just happened, my friend, it takes more faith to believe that all of this just happened than to believe that God created it. Let me tell you why, Because it has such absolute perfect design. Everything is perfect about what God created. And if you study science and disguise you think how in the world could not because there’s no way all of this could have just happened because everything is perfectly designed and in order by God. So we say he was born into a world that he created. And uh and he said, apart from him, nothing came in to be look if you will and colossians one and what paul said about him, Colossians one. And uh just uh just past Philippians there. And notice what he says in this first chapter of Colossians, he says, Speaking of jesus in verse 14, in whom we have redemption, that’s our salvation, the forgiveness of sins. Now watch this, He is the image of the invisible god. The first born of all creation. I’m coming back to that. But by him, all things were created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him. And for him now, what does he mean? When he says he was the first born of all creation. The first what he’s referring to here is simply this in the Hebrew family. The first born son, he managed, he was the one who received the most and so when he says the first born of all creation, Jesus is the manager of this creation, he is head of it all. And if you’ll notice also all the way over to Hebrews, go to Hebrews for a moment, just that first chapter And once you look at the Versa two here Verse one of hebrews chapter one God after he spoke long ago in the fathers, in the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days, he has spoken to us in his son that is in jesus whom he appointed heir of all things through whom also he made the world. If you believe the word of God, you have to believe that jesus christ was in the process with God, the father and the holy spirit making this world creating this world, which has such absolute design to believe that all of that was by chance has absolutely no validity whatsoever. So you have to decide whether you’re gonna believe what men say and cannot prove or what the bible says and all through the scriptures, listen, there are no errors. This is the living word of God. And so when we say that he was born into a world he created, that’s the way he did and this is a world which expresses the wisdom of God the power of God, the beauty of God and the presence of God. The third statement I want to make is this Jesus was born of an earthly mother and the heavenly father, Earthly mother and the heavenly Father the scripture says in luke that first chapter when Gabriel and mary were talking, because she said, well how can these things happen since I’m a virgin have not been with man? Because it was the work of the Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, which meant that Jesus was born of a virgin. And some people say, well, I don’t I don’t think that’s all that important. Let me tell you what, it’s all important. Jesus came into this world in order to forgive us of our sins, the cleansers of our sins and watch this carefully. All those sacrifices in the old testament were foreshadows of the ultimate sacrifice that would come. So all the killing of goats and bulls and so forth, that didn’t make anybody save. But it was a foreshadowing and there is a loss of faith in the coming messiah. And so when you ask the question, well, well why did why did jesus have to die? Because when Adam and Eve sinned, every single person born after them had an old sin nature. Every single one of us has a sin nature that is every single one of us is possessed with a little bit of a or a very strong desire for things that are not right things that don’t fit with God’s plan for our life, things that are sinful and idolatrous and all the rest. Everybody was born with it. This is why your little two year old that you think that God sent you just straight from heaven. Sometimes he can be as obnoxious as he can be because you say do not touch that vase, you turn your head crash. So what would make a two year old child who doesn’t even know what sin is all about? Because he has a sinful nature. Now watch this, watch this carefully. This is why Jesus had to be born of a virgin. Had to be born of a virgin because in being born without man seed, he had no sin nature. If jesus had been born naturally and normally he would have had a sin nature and therefore he couldn’t die for your sins and mine, he’d had to die for his own sin. The fact that he was virgin born and absolutely sinless. And somebody says well how do you know? It was simple as well. Let me ask you a question. What did he do wrong? What sin did he commit? What mistake did he make? His life was perfect because it was God in human flesh. That’s how God came to this earth in human flesh, jesus had to be the perfect son of God sinless in order to die for your sins and mine, God sent him for that purpose. He was the ultimate final divine sacrifice, that would be taking place at the cross on the cross, and when he died, he paid your sin debt and mind and the sins of the whole world, he was the only acceptable sacrifice because he was the only sinless sacrifice. Animals didn’t do it, it was the life of the Lord jesus. And remember jesus is God in the human flesh, so it was absolutely perfect, he was absolutely sinless and therefore that made him an acceptable sacrifice in the eyes of the father and he died crucified, and we think well the romans didn’t know God did it, God sent him to die. The romans were simply the ones who nailed him and who were the tools for crucifying him, but it was God the father who crucified him because he came into this world for that specific reason. So when somebody says, well, I don’t believe in the virgin birth, well you don’t believe in the real jesus then, and secondly, you don’t believe in the virgin birth, because you don’t believe the word of God, you don’t believe in the virgin birth. Listen, if there were no virgin birth, you wouldn’t be saved. The son of God came in order to save us from our sins and the virgin birth was a part of that. Now, unbelief in the Virgin birth, somebody says is that important, and you know, you can go to colleges and seminaries and schools. Well the virgin birth is not important. You remember this. If jesus christ was not sinless, he would have had to die for his own sin. And he couldn’t die for your sin, my sin and his sin. He listen. That would have been like sacrificing a sheep that was sick had been sick for six months. They would never do that had to be a perfect animal in those days, with a spotless as the bible says, and jesus had to be the perfect sacrifice for us. Very important that he was virgin born. Now, another thing I want you to notice here is this jesus was both God and the son of God. Now people say, well, how could that possibly be? Well, I want you to turn to john chapter 10 for a moment, look in john chapter 10, let’s go to 20 verse 27 jesus speaking to those who were with him, my sheep, hear my voice and I know them and they follow me, I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will be able to snatch them out of my father’s hand. Once you’re a child of God, eternally a child of God, the devil can’t take you out of God’s hand, nothing and nobody can. Then he says, my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father’s hand, Look at this. Next verse, I am the father A one did you get that? I am the father of one, jesus is the visible living god and notice what happened. The jews picked up stones again to stone him. They could not stand the idea that jesus would claim to be God. It was beyond their comprehension. Then moving over to the 12th chapter of John for a moment And I want you to look if you will in verse 42. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in him. But because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing him for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. Let me just say this to you. You should never be ashamed of jesus christ, never under any condition, be ashamed of him or deny him. Listen for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God watch this. You gotta work tomorrow. You start talking about jesus or you would like to but you don’t because you’re afraid of being rejected what you watch this, are you listening to say, Amen. You join up with those who loved approval of others than the approval of God. That’s exactly what they did. And jesus cried out and said. He who believes in me, does not believe in me, but in him who sent me that is I’m representing God. He who sees me sees the one who sent me, He who sees me sees the one who sent me and if you go lower too, Let’s see the 14th chapter Look at the 14th chapter for a moment. And this is a wonderful chapter about Jesus coming and heaven and so forth. And then when you come into the seventh verse, he says, if you had known me, you would have known my father also. And now he says from now on, you know him and have seen him phillips said to him, Lord, show us the father and it is enough for us. And jesus said to him, have I been so long with you? And yet you have not come to know me Philip he who has seen me has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? Because listen to this, jesus is the living god, the living person of the invisible father, the Lord God almighty, whom he sent for that reason. Then if you move all the way over to colossians again and I want you to just notice verse here very important, we’re talking about who he is and why you ought to believe in him without any question in your mind in this first chapter. Look if you will in the 15th verse, because here it says, it clearly listen to this, he jesus is the image physical, living male male image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. And what does he say? First born of all creation? Here’s the reason because in the Hebrew family, the firstborn son for example. Uh he was sort of the maintainer and so that’s the image that he’s speaking of here, that jesus is supreme in this life. He’s he manages this world and he’s the one to whom we pay allegiance and so he is the image of the invisible God. So when you, when people say well I don’t believe in that jesus, then you don’t believe in almighty God because he and the father are one. If you’ve seen him, you’ve seen the father and if you believe in him, you believe in the father. And so he says he’s the image of the invisible God. Now think for just a moment how blessed we are that you and I, we could have been born 3000 years ago and all of those saints of God who believed in God and trusted God, they sacrificed animals in the shedding of that blood. All of that was a foreshadowing of what was to come. But suppose you took your bible and you turned to maliki the last chapter, the last verse sliced your bible at that point and threw away the new testament. Think about think about how foreign god would be to you. But listen, the fact that jesus came in the living visible presence of a man, he was still God, but he was man, he was the god man God sent him in order to give us a view of the heavenly father, like we would never have known before, as wise and as good as Godly and as natural in many ways as those old testament prophets and saints. They were always looking forward to something. Looking forward to the coming of the messiah. You and I have been had the privilege of living in the time when jesus christ was born, Crucified, resurrected. And now for these 2000 years we’ve been sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been transforming lives everywhere. It’s all wrapped up in the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ and his personhood. He is not just another man, he is God the living God invisible forms. So we could have even a better relationship with him. Now jesus teaching offered oftentimes was perplexing, People couldn’t figure out what in the world does that mean? So let me just give you a few examples um in the fifth chapter, which is the sermon on the mount of Matthew turn there for just a moment and I want to look at a couple of things, he says something right here that even, we often times probably have to wrestle with Matthew chapter 5 11 and 12. And you know, once in a while I’ll hear somebody say, well I don’t believe the bible except I do believe the sermon on the mount, it’s so beautiful and I believe the 10 commandments. Well listen, are you listening carefully watch this. There are no two passages of scripture in the whole bible that demand the most of us than these two? So look at this fifth chapter And 11th and 12th verse. So, these are things that were difficult for those folks to accept. And us today, verse 11, blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me, rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Now let me ask you a question. How many of you just tickled pink when somebody prosecute you. You just love it. You just can’t wait to get some more of it. Other you pout and want to go home from your job because you’ve had your your feelings hurt and they don’t appreciate you and they’ve insulted you and they’ve hurt your feelings? Do you know why you’re to rejoice? This is what he says. He says, rejoice. Be glad when they do these things to you. So why would you want to rejoice and be glad? Do you know why? I’ll tell you why? Because listen to what he says, paul said. Listen, he said, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him until called according his purpose. And and somebody says, well, how can it be good that somebody has insulted me? I’m gonna tell you Why do you want to know why some of you do. Do you want to know why you should rejoice when people abuse you misuse you, Do you really want to know why? All right. This side wants to know why this time. Come on, tell me what you do you want to know or not? Yeah, here’s the reason because when you respond in a joyful way or a forgiving way, here’s what happens. The bible says. First of all, God’s gonna reward you greatly for it. And secondly, here’s the other reason. More than likely you’re going to be in the presence of more than one person. And all the people hear about it. And when somebody sees you very, very highly insulted, hurt your feelings and just demeans you in all kinds of ways. And you said, well, I appreciate you expressing your opinion. Thank you very much. Here’s what the last person says. Well, wait a minute. That can’t be true because they have done that to me. I don’t want to suck them on. And so what happens? He says, he says, we’re to rejoice why? Because God has given us the opportunity to be in a position to be a wonderful testimony. And I can look back at some times in my life, I have to admit as a pastor, folks have done certain things to me. I didn’t rejoice at the moment. I’ll admit that. But I got over it. I got on my knees and I got home. I said, okay, Lord you know what I’m thinking and I don’t want that in my life. I’m asking you to forgive me for that and let’s just move on. So I I’d like to think I’ve gotten over all that in my life, but I think those are the kinds of things you have to deal with. Now look, if you will in verse 43 of this fifth chapter also, he says you’ve heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. You said now wait a minute. God doesn’t expect me to love my enemies. Well let me tell you how he does. That doesn’t mean I’m too like my enemies. I don’t like anything about them. I don’t like what they do. I don’t like what they believe. I don’t like what they stand for. And I would I would not like that in my life at all. I can separate everything they represent from them as a lost person who needs to be saved. That’s what I love. I don’t love. I don’t love that. Maybe the way they dress. I don’t love what they drink. I don’t love any of that kind of stuff or their religion or whatever it might be. I can love the person because here’s somebody who needs jesus christ as their savior. Otherwise what did he mean? And I’m sure jesus was dealing with them in a way because the saddest season the Pharisees, they were just obnoxious, putting burdens on people and so they had to deal with that. And so that’s why you said it Now. He says something else here that people have a hard time with in Matthew chapter 20 and that is, he says you really want to be great looking the 20th chapter of Matthew And look if you will in the 20th 7th verse, He says um 27th verse, whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. And that’s interesting. The word he used used for slave is doulas, which means that the most humble of the slaves. He is there, he is the slave who met you at the door and washed your feet. He says, he that is greatest among you will be your slave. And you think about people today gotta be first gotta be first gotta have high priority. You gotta have recognition, gotta have this, gotta have that, jesus said whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. He says it’s the attitude, listen, those who conquer have the attitude of humility and wanting designed to be used in a way that pleases an honest God and you may have a job for example, in your industry, whatever that may be and you think, well I will never be a superintendent, I will never be the boss, I’ll never be this, that or the other. Well, you don’t know whether you will or not it, maybe you change your attitude, change your spirit and I’ll tell you what God may be with you. But it’s the attitude that is, I’m willing to be a servant. And we think about servants, we all have negative attitudes. Jesus was the servant of all servants. And he said from his perspective, He wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. God is honored when you and I submit ourselves to serving other people, whatever that may require of us. Then, if you will turn to mark chapter eight for a moment, and here is another passage that’s demanding of us. And this is why I say passages of scripture that were very difficult for them to accept. Um, Mark chapter eight verse 35 And verse 34 says he summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself take up his cross and follow me. What does it mean by deny himself? That simply means this? I deny myself of anything and everything that keeps me from being what God wants me to be. It doesn’t, it doesn’t work in my life. And he says four, listen, for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul. And you see they didn’t understand all that. And people today said, you know what, that’s just gibberish. No, it’s not. It’s a sense of humility and sense of giving ourselves away to the Lord, jesus christ to use us any way he sees fit to do so. And uh let’s go back to Matthew the sermon on the mount again that fifth chapter because here is something that had to be very, very difficult, difficult for them to accept in those days when he says in Matthew chapter five verse five Blessed or the gentle for they shall inherit the earth, gentle and a roman empire where swords was what life was all about and warfare and slavery and poverty and this thing of being gentle for they shall inherit the earth. A gentle heart is a humble heart, a gentle heart is an easy heart, A gentle heart is looking out for someone else. A gentle heart is not rash and defensive, a gentle heart. And so they didn’t understand that in those days. And I think a lot of people don’t today either blessed are the gentle, he says for they shall inherit the earth. And you see, we think well uh you never get anywhere in life unless you get tough and just, you know, be it over someone else and lorded over them. That’s that’s what the world thinks. That’s not what God thinks, that’s not the way he operates then he says for example in Matthew 10 34 watch this carefully doing listen, this is jesus now do not think that I came to bring peace oops what do not think that I came to bring peace? Don’t we call him the prince of peace? Yes. Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Now what in the world could that mean that he’s gonna bring us on And when he’s the prince of peace, here’s what it means. For example, whenever there’s a group and that group is unsaved and somebody gets saved. He says it’s like a sword in their relationship, shut them out. He says I came to bring us over and not peace. The peace that comes comes to all of us who trust him as their savior and walk in his spirit. It does not mean we will not be a weapon or a sword as he says in somebody else’s life that changes their way of living. And so he gets the wife saved and and the sword comes in and she lives a Godly life. Next thing you know, the husband gets saved and the kids get saved. I can just tell you a lot of stories of people that’s exactly what happened. The sword came. But listen it was the sword of the word of God dipped in the love of God in the heart of that person who received christ makes all the difference in the world. So Then let’s look at a couple other things, Jesus name is like no other name, there’s no name like his. And if you look in Philippians two for a moment and uh let’s start with verse nine for this reason. Also God highly exalted him. That’s jesus and look bestowed on him the name which is above every name that is God. The father gave jesus his name. God the father bestowed on him the name jesus Gabriel told uh mary, that’s to be his name. Look at this bestowed on him the name of jesus which is above every name. So that at the name of jesus, every knee not might every knee will bow of those who are in heaven on earth and under the earth. And that every tongue will confess that jesus christ is Lord to the glory of God. Now what does that say? You may not like him. But I’m gonna tell you this, you can mark this down because God said it one of these days, you’re gonna confess that Jesus christ is the Lord, no matter what you’ve said about him here and now one of these days you will bow your knees before the Lord, jesus christ is your judge have foolish to live without him. You will confess him to say, well I’ll die before I confess him. You’ll die before you confess him and go to hell on your own choice, it only be because you chose to deny, you chose to reject the son of God, who is God in the flesh, who came in visible form, so you and I could understand better who God is and what he’s like and all the rest, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that jesus christ is Lord to the glory of God. He says it will happen and indeed it will happen. And for example, he says when he sent the disciples out preaching the gospel Made it very clear what that Gospel was about. Here’s what he said in the 24th chapter of Luke he said and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name, Jesus to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem. And let’s think about this. For example, when you were baptized, how were you baptized? They baptize your name of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, you are baptized in the trinity, baptized in the name of the father the Son, the Holy Spirit. Listen, the name of jesus isn’t just the name, it is the name of the living god, it is the name of the visible god here on earth when he walked this earth. And so when you think about, for example, when you pray in this 14th chapter of John and he says whatever you ask in my name, that is you’re asking according to his will according to his purpose according to what pleases and honors him. He says he’s going to answer it. So when we pray he’s there, we give thanks in his name. Uh, were baptized in his name and then in the 18th chapter of Matthew uh, something that’s going on right now in this service, he listened to what he says in verse 20 of Matthew 18 For where two or 3 have gathered together in my name. I am there in their midst. So you and I could say good morning jesus because he’s here, How many times is he’s here, he’s here in every single one of our hearts who saved this is why we give an invitation, We give an invitation to invite you to accept jesus christ as your personal savior. So when you step out of this place, christ is in your heart to be everything he is and will be in the life of a believer. Now ah to some people, he’s just a figure. What I want you to see is this everything we’ve said up to this point, he’s not just a figure, he’s God, he is God in the flesh who died on the cross for our sins who died and was buried and resurrected. And I would say to all these other religions who claimed this and claimed that and claim the other, where is your leader dead in the grave, where is jesus resurrected, seated at the father’s right hand making intercession for us. That is the testimony of the word of God, mm hmm. Now he, he reminds us and warns us in this 10th chapter of Matthew, he warns us of what uh what people’s attitudes gonna be. He says we will be hated by all men for his sake. So everything that’s going on these days, it’s just exactly what he said would do, these things will happen. But you’re not to take a stand. Listen, if you believe the son of God, you believe in jesus christ as your personal savior. You and I should never be ashamed of him. And when somebody uses jesus name as a curse word or phrase, I’m here to tell you they’re in void. Oh, that’s not who God is. Yes, he is. He says he bestowed on him the name jesus that makes it the number one name with all the high priorities that could be given to jesus. He gave it to him. And then he says, when his disciples, you will recall in this fourth chapter of Acts, his disciples have been preaching the gospel and they healed this man at the temple gate and the scripture says and he began to ask him about money. And in this third chapter of acts in the 4th 5th verse, Peter along with John fixed his gaze on him and said, look at us and he began to give them his attention expecting to receive some money. But Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I have I give to you in the name of jesus christ the Nazarene walk and seizing him by the right hand. He raised him up, he began to walk into the synagogue and praising the Lord and said to seize and Pharisees but have a fit because they could not do anything about it whatsoever. And they finally had him arrested. Which was a good thing in a way because what it did, it gave them an audience with the leadership. They wouldn’t have had that otherwise. And so here’s what happens. They imprisoned and they all get together to hear what they’ve got to say. So they at least gave Peter a moment to speak. And here’s what he said, Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel. That by the name of jesus christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised up from the dead by his name. This man stands here before you in good health. He is listen, he, Jesus is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is only one name, no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. But the name of jesus christ no other name that’ll bring salvation. But the name of jesus christ himself. Then I’d say the last thing this and that is Jesus came into the world the first time is a baby. He will return as reigning king and judge of all mankind. And you can look at the 25th chapter of Matthew, that long passage there about Jesus coming and separating the chief from the goats and the fact that he is the judge of all mankind. Now, who is this jesus? This jesus is everything we’ve said this morning because I’ve given you a text of scripture about every single one of them. The next time somebody challenges you about jesus and says, who do you think he is pull out your notes and what you ought to do is take these notes home this afternoon, right him in the back of your bible and sort of abbreviate whatever you wanna breathe yet get him in your mind. And every one of these points is very important because it says this is who jesus is, this is the person you accepted. This is the Savior, Who is your savior. He is the only savior and by his name and his name alone. We get to heaven and here’s what he said, no one comes to the father. But by me and listen the same thing that stirred up the sad uses in those days and made it them wanted to stone him to death. That various statement stirs up people today. You mean to tell me there’s only one way. Only one way. Well, that’s selfish. That’s a greedy God. Or that’s a prejudice. God. No, it’s not. He sent his son the Lord jesus, the down the cross to save you from your sins. There is no other way, no other place and no other person. You say, well, I’m not so bad. You need to get no look, you have an old sin nature. And that old sin nature is gonna take you straight down and away, separated from God for all eternity. You have no the church. You say, well, I’m a good person. That’s good in your eyes. But the bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The soul, that Senate, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that jesus christ is the Lord, He is God. It is appointed that the man wants to die. And after this the judgment think if you don’t trust jesus, you should save you. Think what is your alternative? When you face death? If you was, you will ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins. They give you for demeaning his name and put your life in his hands and you can do that right where you are. You ask him to forgive you of your sins and maybe the things you’ve said about him, sins that you’ve committed in your life, tell him that today you’re trusting his death at calvary as full payment for your sins. You’re surrendering your life to jesus. Who is God in the flesh? Who came for the purpose of saving you, putting your life in his hands and from this point on by his help and his guidance and his strength of the Holy Spirit. You choose to live a godly life through the last moment of your life. I pray that you’ll be wise enough to do just that and Father, how grateful we are today. You sent us the savior and you have made it crystal clear in the word who he is, why he came and why he deserves our allegiance as submission. A total surrender. We bless you today, Father and be blessed, jesus, your son Amen. And mm hmm.