We are teaching this:
Our relationship with others is based on how well we know
them. It can be quite upsetting to find out someone is not whom they seem to
be. Trust is essential. In this next series, we are going to be looking at who
Jesus is by dealing with who He is not. There are a lot of misconceptions about
Jesus and by examining the scriptures we can know the real Jesus and trust Him.
I believe it's God desire that we see Him for who He is. He is not worried we will
reveal anything that will hurt our relationship with Him but in discovering who
He really is we will see the significance of this life changing relationship
and trust Him all the more. A pivotal moment in the life of Christ is when He
asked the disciples “who do you say that I am?” and it’s a question we need to
answer ourselves.
Who is Jesus Not?
Annoyed. (3/10/15)
Is Jesus too important, too busy, too bothered, and too
annoyed to be near, to care, to listen and to be a friend? With some of the
images of Christ out there is can be easy to think Jesus was so long ago, so
stoic, so other than us He is un-relatable and wouldn’t want to be near us.
Some of the greatest things about Christ is His deity, His supremacy, His
sovereignty, and holiness, all while being compassionate, approachable and concerned.
Could this be what makes Him the best friend of all? He is not my homeboy but
He is my friend.
Who is Jesus Not?
Demanding Stiff. (3/17/15)
Is Jesus a boring, stiff necked, rule pusher? From an experience
of religion it can seem like Jesus only cares about respect, performance, and a
good lecture. A significant truth about
Jesus is He was fun to be around, encouraging, and cared more about your heart
then your behavior. He never said if you
want to be a Christian you better start acting
like it. When you hear the voice of Jesus do you hear a lot of “should” and
“don’t” or “trust” and “love”? Sure Jesus was serious, serious about a
relationship with us. He is not a system to conform to He is life to the full.
Who is Jesus Not?
Finger Pointer. (3/31/15)
Does all Jesus care about is sin and making sure we know how
much of sinner we are? Did He come
to condemn us and leave us to our own devices? Jesus is serious about sin but He
did not come to point fingers, He came to show you how much you need Him and to
be our hope in a hopeless situation. He didn’t come to shame us, He came to
save us. Do you know you need saving? Do you see Jesus as your only hope? Jesus
is truth and grace. In Christ Jesus the focus is not on sinning less, it’s
living out of who God says you are and in doing so the miracle is you will sin
less.
Who is Jesus Not?
Another toll booth. (4/7/15)
Jesus in not just another gate of many gates you pay in some
way to get through. He is the way and no amount of payment from us is
enough. He is the payment in full sufficient. He is the way, the resurrection
and the life. He is not a thief and swindler but the true Gate.Think about this:
One of the biggest misconceptions about Jesus is that He must be constantly displeased with us for how much we sin. In a survey where Christians were asked “What do you think God thinks about when He thinks about you?” the number one answer was disappointed. Why is this? There is something powerful that happens when we discover who Jesus really is; we learn that with Him we can be who we really are. God wants us to see Him for who He is and trust Him, then by trusting Him we will trust what He says about us, and when we trust what He says about us we can mature in that truth and live out of who we are meant to be. It’s no longer trying to be what we could never be on our own or trying to live up to a standard, it’s living out of all that is possible because of what Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf. We live in a world of performance where results are based on our actions and so we transfer that over to our relationship with Christ. We think we need to try in our strength to be holy and righteous but because we can’t we are left with a lot of good intentions, discouraged, and full of shame. This often leads us to be discouraged, bitter and abandoning Christ all together. Or it leads us to cover up, put on a mask, and act as if we have it all together. We are afraid of being truly known but it is also what we truly want. What if in Christ Jesus we are known, completely loved, and by our trust in His complete work on the cross and amazing grace we are righteous? This is the truth of knowing who Jesus is and believing. In trusting Him, His unrelenting love and presence, we are righteous and mature in that truth. Trust is the key. Think about your relationship with your kids, how does there understanding of who you are effect their trust? When they trust your love and support they grow in it.
One of the greatest
conversations you can have with your children is who Jesus is to you. Make time to talk regularly with your kids about
what your relationship with Jesus means to you and ask them the same. Describe
to them how you are trusting in Christ’s grace daily to grow in your
relationship with Him. Talk about how
you can encourage one another to know Christ better.