Why the World
Needs Jesus
Study Series on the Awesome Words
of Almighty God
John 1:1-23
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
DATE: 14 September, 2008 AM
PLACE:
I.
Introduction (John 1:1-3)
A.
New Series this
1.
Last week we learned
just a small bit about God’s Perfect Word – Why the World Needs the Bible.
Get a copy of the DVD if you can!
2.
God’s Living Word –
Why the World Does not Know the Real Jesus Christ
3.
God’s Visible Word –
Why the World Needs The Christian
4.
How to Learn and Live
by the Word of God – a very practical lesson for all Christians!
B.
Unlike other books,
Bible believers read the Bible through again and again. They sometimes spend
hours meditating upon a single passage, a single verse, a single phrase, or
a single word. They thrill at discoveries within its pages more than men
have thrilled at great discoveries of oil or precious metals! I wonder why?
C.
The Word of God, the
Holy Bible remains the number one best seller in the world, year after year.
It amounts to over 6 billion copies printed just since 1815. It has been
printed, in whole or in part, in over two thousand different languages and
dialects. When it is translated into a new tongue the waiting recipients are
almost delirious with joy. How can you explain such popularity for so
ancient a volume?
D.
It is simply because
of the material in the Bible – the greatest Book ever written! Of its divine
library of 66 books, there is history, biography, poetry, proverbial sayings
(true sayings), hymns (songs), laws about governing and morality, parables
(stories that teach truth), riddles, mysteries, allegories (symbolic
language), prophecies, records of birth, and death, adventure, food recipes,
blessings, cursings, and all other forms of human expression!
E.
It this Book of 1189
chapters there are scientific descriptions of the universe, of genetics, and
of the heart and mind! There are 1,500 predictions of future events, with
over half of them already fulfilled! There are astounding stories of
harrowing escapes, murders, miracles, disappearances, famines, and world
empires. There are life stories about kings and queens, shepherds and
giants, prophets and wizards, sailors and centurions, lawyers and scribes,
demons and pigs, poor and rich, attacking bears and killer lions. The list
continues with earthquakes and hurricanes, asteroids and brimstone, slavery
and freedom, manna and lambs. What an amazing Book!
F.
But more than all,
this Book of books talks about JESUS!
G.
One word – a name! The
sweetest name on earth! Jesus!
H.
This Book of books is
not about religion, or philosophy, or mysteries, or prayers or theological
debates… it’s clearly, and only about Jesus!
I.
He was not a good man
– He is the perfect Man! He was not a good example – He is the ONLY true
example of good! He was not a prophet, He is God!
J.
Why does this world
need the Living Word of God?
II.
Message -
Why does this world need the Living Word of God?
A.
Because there are a lot of
Counterfeits - Other Jesus’ (Luke 21:8)!
1.
The original
counterfeit (Isaiah 14:12-15; 2Cor 11:13-14) – wanted to be God! Failed!
2.
FALSE Jesus’, false
Spirits, and false Gospels were big problems in the first century, and they
are even bigger today (2Cor 11:2-4)
a.
Look at the phrase
“another Jesus, who we have not preached.” This is not the Jesus of
the Scripture, but another Jesus that the whole world discovers through
false revelations: i.e., the gospel of Judas, the DaVinci Code, the Secret,
the visions of Bernadette, and on goes the list!
b.
So many people are
being deceived into praying to angels, and listening to what the Bible
calls, “seducing spirits”
c.
And to this day, with
all the churches, and all the religions, most people believe a false gospel
– a feel good gospel – a damning gospel, because it is not Christ Jesus’ one
and only Gospel!
d.
We need to establish
the foundation for our beliefs. OUR foundation is the Word of God – the
written, testable, provable word of almighty God! Otherwise, it is
simply my beliefs compared with their beliefs and everyman will “stick to
his guns” in the final analysis. We must have a common ground to base
our beliefs upon or there is not solitary Truth.
e.
Any variations from
the Bible’s words AT ALL, are a fraud! (Galatians 1:6-9)
f.
Modern churches are
filled with false ideas and teachings about Jesus that people think are
right…
1)
Many worship a piece
of bread in the Roman Catholic mass.
2)
The Mormon a “Jesus”
who was a polygamist and the brother of Lucifer.
3)
The modern liberals
worship a Jesus who was not born of a virgin, and who did no miracles
4)
The majority of our
generation worship a “loving” Jesus who would never send anyone to Hell. A
nice Jesus who just loves everybody!
5)
The rich worship a
Prosperity Jesus who was wealthy himself, and only wants to “bless you!”.
Well, He didn’t bless the apostle
6)
There are those that
worship a Laughing Jesus who "slays" people with his spirit and causes them
to laugh uncontrollably and to stagger like drunk men in church.
7)
Many people worship a
“Self-esteem Jesus” who never called man a sinner and who came merely to
build up his own self image and help people discover themselves.
8)
The frustrated and
downtrodden of the world worship a Revolutionary Jesus who was the founder
of Liberation Theology and taught that people should riot and overthrow
governments to bring in the
9)
These are just a few
of the false christs in the world today. And what’s funny, they are the
Jesus’ that get all the worship – and not the Jesus of the Bible!
3.
Beware of those who
refuse to expose false christs and false gospels. It is impossible to love
the true Jesus without hating the false ones. "For many deceivers are
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we
lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full
reward. whosoever transgresseth, and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in (keeps believing) the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father
and the Son" (2 John 7-9).
B.
Because Only the Real Jesus
Saves!
1.
John 14:6
2.
Rom 10:1-4
3.
Acts 4:12
4.
Acts 5:42
5.
Acts 8:5
6.
Acts 17:3
7.
1Cor 1:17-19; 21-24
C.
Identifying the Real “McCoy”
– How do we find the real Jesus? (Jn 9:35-37)
1.
How do we find the
real Jesus?
a.
Has to perfectly match
the written word
b.
All its prophecies,
all its expectations
2.
He had to be there at
the beginning of time (Genesis 1:1-3; John 17:5). Mohammed is a late comer.
Ghandi doesn’t qualify. Shiva is a joke. Mary wasn’t there, and neither was
Peter. Only Jesus qualifies!
3.
He has to only use
the word (Matthew 8:8) – not His own
a.
Most people add or
take away things from the Bible that they think might be offensive, or too
complex – not Jesus!
b.
Jesus
c.
He didn’t use
smokescreens, and magic tricks to fake His way out of tough questions and
tough problems
d.
The Bible, God’s Holy
Word was what he used to answer every question, and every problem
4.
He had to submit
to the word (John 5:39)
a.
He asked all people to
check Him out, to see if He matches what the written word said he would be
b.
He told them to
search, and study – not to close their minds, but open them, and see if He
was who God said he would be
5.
He had to truly
LIVE the word (Matthew 4:4) – obeying it perfectly
a.
From His birth – a
virgin birth just as predicted by God 700 years earlier
b.
c.
To Him, the Bible was
more important than food, than troubles, than loneliness, than problems!
d.
If there was anything
that was outstanding about Jesus Christ, it was the fact that every second
of every day, He was living out the promises and prophecies of the perfect
word of God!
e.
He spoke it, prayed
it, believed it, loved it, preached it!
f.
Proved that it was all
anyone needed to live by
g.
Proved that the word
of God was true from start to finish
h.
Proved that God could
be completely trusted
6.
He had to fulfil
the word (Mark 14:49) – perfectly!
7.
Only Jesus of Nazareth
matched those prophecies and expectations perfectly!
8.
So, according to God,
Jesus is God, the Word (John 1:1-3)
a.
He is not another God,
but God Himself!
b.
He, as God Became
Flesh, and lived HERE, for 33 ½ years (Jn 1:14)
c.
Even though Rejected,
despised, crucified, and buried… He lives!
d.
He IS, and ever shall
be the Living Word of God
e.
That is Jesus!
f.
You still doubt it?
Listen to 1John 5:7!
g.
Still not sure? Listen
to Revelation 19:11-13
D.
Why the World Does NOT Want the
Real Jesus (John 1:9-12)!
1.
He is more than a
religion.
a.
People allow that
there are different religions, and different ways that people worship and
seek after God
b.
But Jesus came along
and said there was no other way to God, no other way to worship God, no
other way to even know God, than through HIM (John 14:6)
2.
He cannot change
(Hebrews 13:8)
a.
He does not change
with time; He does not adjust according to the culture or the opinions of
the masses – He is always the Same – you cannot improve on the Perfect Word!
b.
THAT makes people
furious! All other religions have their “traditions” but people don’t
actually believe all the traditional stuff these days – only the stuff that
is politically acceptable
c.
Not with Jesus
3.
He exposes us for what
we are (John 8:45)
a.
No matter how
religious – we are hypocrites, sinners, lost
b.
No matter how lost –
we are salvageable
4.
He only wants to save
us – nothing more (Luke 5:31,32; 19:10)
a.
People want a Genie,
an Army General, a Banker, an Educator, a Self-Esteem Motivator, a lover, a
Servant
b.
But Jesus only wants
to be, and only ever will be the Saviour of your soul!
E.
Why the World Desperately Needs
Jesus (Acts 26:13-18) – Why the world needs
The True Jesus…
1.
Because we are blind
and lost without Him – no matter how hard we may try to be good, and try to
do right, and try to say our prayers! According to God, we are blind!
2.
Because we are
enslaved by sin AND Satan – in bondage. Some to drugs, others to pride! Some
to depression, some to the love of money! Some to drink, and others to
religious traditions! Satan rules this world, and believe it or not, he
rules
3.
Because we are doomed
to an eternity in hell unless we repent and believe ONLY on the Lord Jesus
Christ to save us from our sins! Do you have a problem with that/ Jesus
proved that the Bible’s message is absolutely true, and that he is the
Saviour from such a place as hell!
4.
That’s why the ONLY
message preached that made any difference was the Gospel about Jesus Christ!
III.
Conclusion
A.
This Book of books is
all about JESUS! The sweetest name on earth!
1.
This Book of books is
not about religion, or philosophy, or mysteries, or prayers or theological
debates… it’s clearly, and only about Jesus!
2.
He was not a good man
– He is the perfect Man! He was not a good example – He is the ONLY true
example of good! He was not a prophet, He is God!
B.
The World Desperately Needs
Jesus – Why? Why does this world need the
Living Word of God?
1.
Because there are a lot of
counterfeits - Other Jesus’ (Luke 21:8)!
2.
Because Only the Real Jesus
Saves!
C.
How will they find the Real
Jesus?
1.
Has to perfectly match
the written word
2.
All its prophecies,
all its expectations
3.
Only Jesus of Nazareth
matches those prophecies and expectations perfectly
4.
So, according to God,
Jesus is God, the Word
5.
But, they are not going to know
the real Jesus without the true Bible
6.
And they are not going to ever
open a Bible, or hear its words without you and me taking it to them, and
opening it up and showing them from its precious pages, the awesome promises
and clear declaration that Jesus is the only way
D.
Do you have the Real Living
Jesus? Does He have YOU?