Critical Truths About Jesus

^{John 20:30} And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: ³¹ But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John opens his gospel with a number of supreme statements about Jesus.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

The Logos (Jesus) is eternal.

The Logos is in the mind of God.

The Logos is God, or the same as God .

The Logos is the maker of all things.

Nothing exists without the agency of the Logos.

The Logos is light.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. ¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power^b to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Logos came into the world that he created.

The world did not recognize their own creator.

The Logos became a man.

No man hath seen God at any time. God is invisible.

We beheld his glory: The invisible became visible.

¹⁸ The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

The question set before John, and before us, is how? How did Jesus declare himself?

Jesus declared himself by “many other signs” not written in the book of John. The signs that he did write about were for the express purpose of declaring his deity to the world.

There were 38 miracles or sign recorded in the Gospels. John chose seven for his purpose. What purpose? Two purposes. First, That we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Second, That believing, we might have life through his name. I want to look at the first three miracles that Jesus performed. In them we will find a magnificent purpose for each one.

Jesus revealed himself as Creator, Sustainer, Empowerer, Provider, Illuminator, Protector, Re-Creator.

Jesus Christ stands out as the unrivaled champion of the scriptures. Without Him, we have only unexplained ceremonies, unachieved purposes, unappeased longings and unfulfilled prophecies. Without Christ the Old Testament is a river which has lost its way to the sea, a swift-flying arrow with no target and magnificent eagle with no roosting branch. Jesus Christ forms the centripetal point of the law—-everything converges upon Him, and the centrifugal point of grace—-everything emerges from Him. On Him rides the theme of both Old and New Testaments, the raison d’être to every dispensation of time, the reflection of every great personage and the substance of every great type.

Jesus used the scripture to testify of himself. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. John 5:39. He dwells at the center of the church. He constitutes the totality of our message: “But we preach Christ crucified…” I Corinthians 1:23. He stands as the object of our deepest consecration: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Philippians 3:8-10. He embodies the adoration of the songwriter, and the hope of the saint.

• ^{John 15:5} I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

• ^{John 14:6} Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

• ⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.^[1]

I am the Vine. He turned the water in WINE! The fruit of the vine.

¹¹ This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

What was the purpose of this miracle? Wasn’t this beneath the ministry of Jesus? Why didn’t he say, “Don’t bother me with your little problem?”

It is important for us to realize that there is a reason for every miracle, especially the ones we read about in the Bible.

This miracle was done to extract an confession out of us. It is, “God I need you but I don’t know how to get to you. I come to you through Jesus Christ. I can’t do it by myself. What I need is more than man can produce.”

Jesus turned the water into wine. He did in an instant what requires an entire season to do. The purpose was to put his deity on display.

Jesus has the power to change your life in an instant.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In John 4, we read about a man whose son was sick and was about to die. Jesus had to prove that he was the way, the truth and the life. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. ⁴⁹ The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. ⁵⁰ Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth.

This was a statement that demanded proof.

And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. ⁵¹ And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

God did not give anybody a doubtful mind, but he did give us an enquiring mind.

This man wanted to know the difference between truth and falsehood.

⁵² Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. ⁵⁴ This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

The man believed the miracle before it happened! He only asked for a confirmation, not a sign.

God answers prayer! (Golf course worker and Bro. Bill Pelham.)

I Am the Door.

Jesus chooses a crippled man to demonstrate who he was.

^{John 5:1} After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ² Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. ³ In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. ⁴ For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

This was similar to a healing spa, waters whose chemicals were know for curative powers. In addition, there was an angelic visitation that troubled the waters for special healing.

⁵ And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

38 years is a long time. If this were today, he would have been laying there since 1978.

A 25 cent piece would have bought him some help, but he didn’t even have that. Here was a man totally abandoned by society.

Will you be made whole? Be careful how you answer this question. Jesus wants to know if you want healing or attention! Your faith needs to be in the right place.

⁷ The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

I have no man. None of us have someone who can meet our needs.

⁸ Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. ⁹ And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

¹⁵ The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

If you are looking for proof, it’s all there.

You have to take the first step. You have to take the plunge. You have to make the confession of your faith in Christ.

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^b power: or, the right, or, privilege

^[1]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Jn 10:6-9). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.