God is invisible. No one in human history has ever seen him. Well, anyone except Jesus. Today, I want to introduce you to Jesus. Today we’re going to answer the question “Who is Jesus and why is he important?”
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When I was a baby, in order for me to get to my new earthly home, I traveled from the hospital in the back of an old Ford Taurus. Your story may be similar.
But Jesus… well, his story is a lot more interesting. In order for him to come to earth as a baby, he first had to leave his home in heaven. At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal. But it’s a huge deal. The part about him being born to a young virgin girl is amazing enough… but let’s look further back.
Jesus is heavenly royalty. He left that royal throne and existence to come to earth. Earth, where things were (and are) shattered, broken and dirty. Earth, where the sin of humanity had caused injustice upon injustice, and death upon death. He chose to leave heaven, and come here.
This is an intriguing man. Someone who would leave heaven to come to earth… That’s someone I want to know more about.
Now, let’s dig into the first quality of Jesus that tells us who Jesus is and why he’s important.
Who is Jesus and Why is He Important
Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God
Like I said, no one has seen God. God is invisible. But when Jesus came to earth, the people who met him were shown the invisible God. The Bible tells us that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in him(Colossians 1:19). That means that all of God was happily in all of Jesus. And people got to see him. Talk to him. Eat with him. Laugh with him and pray with him.
When Jesus was on earth, we got a picture of God in flesh.
Who is Jesus? He is the son part of the Trinity (Father, son and Holy Spirit). And when he came to earth, he gave us a beautiful picture of the image of God and the heart of God.
Jesus is Creator
The Bible tells us that Jesus, who came to earth as a little baby, CAUSED creation to exist. It’s true! Anything that was ever created (things in heaven and on earth) were from him. That includes all the things we can see… and all the things we can’t see. But get this: Not only were all these amazing things created through him, but they were also created for him.
So that rainbow that fills you with so much happiness? It fills him with happiness too. Those stars that twinkle above your head and fill you with wonder? They make him smile, too. The elephant with the funny trunk, the beautiful horse that can run and jump, the ocean that roars… Jesus made it all, and he loves it all.
All of creation is amazing… and it shines right back onto Jesus.
So, who is Jesus and why is he important? He is CREATOR.
Jesus is the Beginning.
Obviously, it’s amazing that Jesus made everything… and that he enjoys it, just like us. But here’s something else amazing about him:
He was here before all created things. Before EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.
You know Abraham? Well, he was alive on earth a couple thousand years before Jesus. But you know what Jesus once said? “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)
Isn’t that cool? He says, “I am.” Even thought to us it sounds like he’s talking about the past, he actually uses present tense. He’s telling us that he IS time. He doesn’t live in time like we do right now, he IS time.
He’s the beginning, he’s the end, and he holds everything together (Colossians 1:17). Isn’t that incredible? It took some amazing science to get this universe going… and he KEEPS it all going.
Who is Jesus and Why is he Important? He’s the beginning, the sustainer, and the end.
Savior and Redeemer
Jesus was the very beginning, he keeps all this spinning, and all of God lived in him while he was on earth. Most of us know that he was crucified when he was 33 years old. But the biggest news is that he didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead. That’s not just big news, it’s good news.
Without him dying and rising, our sin would continue to keep us separate from God. Our bodies, hearts, and minds get so full of sin which keeps us apart from God. BUT he loved us SO much that he left his throne and came to earth all with the purpose of going to the cross.
When Jesus went to the cross, he made peace between us and God. When he died and then rose again, he reconciled us to God. Reconciled means to “restore friendly relations” or to “dwell in harmony.” I like that. He made it possible again for us to dwell in harmony with God, just like God was pleased to dwell fully in him while he was on earth.
The Bottom Line
What did Jesus do? He made it possible for us to be at peace with God. If we have faith in Jesus, then he presents us to God, holy and blameless.
This is the good news of who he is and why he is important. This good news fills us with hope, and promises life and peace.
That’s who Jesus is, and that’s what Jesus did (and continues to do) for us.
Now that I’ve introduced him, the question is this: Who is Jesus to you? You see, he doesn’t make this a rhetorical question. It’s a question that needs to be answered, because he when he was on earth, he said that he is the only way to God. Do you know why you’re here? Do you know what happens when you die?
In his book Mere Christianity, CS Lewis famously posed this question. Jesus is either liar, lunatic, or Lord. What do you choose? He doesn’t leave room for anything else.
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