Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: Have you invited Jesus to be at the center of your life, the center of your marriage, the center of your goals, the center of your finances, the center of your parenting? Have you asked Jesus to be the Lord of every part of your life?

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California and a professor in Biblical Studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled "Foundations." Let's listen in as JP gives us part two of "The Unique God Man."

JP Jones: Do you know the message of Jesus can be summed up in one word? Repent.

It takes a lot of boldness to stand in front of somebody and say, "You need to repent." That is what Jesus preached; he preached repentance.

In fact, I think most people do not have an accurate understanding of the teaching of Jesus. I am convinced of it. If you were to take the collective teachings of Jesus, look at the four gospels. If you, let's just back up, just take the major discourses. You have the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7. You have the Kingdom Parables, Mark Chapter 8. You have the Olivet Discourse, Matthew Chapter 23, 24, 25. You have the Upper Room Discourse, John 14, 15, and 16.

You put that together and you can, you have a pretty comprehensive summary of the teaching of Jesus. I think most people would be blown away if they just looked at the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus was a bold prophet. In fact, I had a conversation in the Jacuzzi, this was some time ago, part of my Jacuzzi ministry, working out at the gym, afterwards sitting in the Jacuzzi, starting talking to a guy, and in the course of our conversation, told him that I was a follower of Christ and asked him some questions and he said, "You know what? I think Jesus was a great guy, probably the greatest teacher I have ever lived. I really admire Jesus as a great teacher."

I said, "Really?" He said, "Yes, I do." I said, "Well, then you must be familiar with what Jesus taught about Heaven and Hell." He said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Well, you know Jesus said more about Heaven and Hell than any other apostle or prophet or biblical author. And in John Chapter 5, Jesus taught that there was going to be a resurrection at the end of the age and the wicked were going to be resurrected to eternal judgment, but the righteous to eternal life."

And in Matthew 25, Jesus taught that when he comes back again, he is going to sit on the throne and he is going to gather everybody before him and he is going to separate people like sheep and goats are separated. And the sheep are going to be invited to enjoy eternal life that he created for them, but the goats are going to be cast into the lake of fire for eternal judgment. That is what Jesus taught.

I said, "In fact, in John Chapter 3, Jesus said unless you believe in me as the only way, you will die in your sins and suffer eternal judgment. So since you think Jesus is a great teacher, you must believe what he taught about Heaven and Hell." The guy just kind of looked at me and stuttered a little bit, "Well, you know, I, I don't know if I believe that." I said, "Let me ask you a question." He said, "Okay." I go, "Please, just be honest." He goes, "Okay."

"Have you ever studied the teachings of Jesus?" He said, "No, I, I really haven't." I said, "You know what? It is okay, most people have not. And you know what? I thought that was probably the case before you even answered. I will tell you why. When you really study the teachings of Jesus, you either humble yourself believing him and become one of his followers, or you want to write it off completely and reject it, because you cannot just think that Jesus was a great teacher when you think about what he really taught if you are not really willing to obey it."

Jesus was a bold prophet. Are you obeying his teachings? Have you surrendered your will to the will of Jesus Christ? Are you doing what he says?

The Bible says as well that Jesus is the compassionate healer. The compassionate healer. In Mark Chapter 1, this story is recorded for us: "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' And filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean.' And immediately the leprosy left him."

When you study the four gospels and all the healing miracles of Jesus, on the macro level, you can make a case that Jesus healed people to prove his deity, to establish his messiahship, to demonstrate his spiritual authority. But on the micro level, every time you see Jesus healing people, you see it similar to this passage here in Mark Chapter 1, where the leper comes to Jesus begging for his healing because he knew he would not have healing any other way.

And then it says, "Jesus, filled with compassion, touched him and he was healed." I love that. Jesus did not need to touch him, but he did. And he had compassion for him. On the macro level, Jesus did miracles of healing to prove that he was the Son of God. On the micro level, he healed people because he had compassion. He cared about them and he wanted to heal them.

Did you know that Jesus cares about you? Jesus looks at you, he looks at me and he has compassion. He does not look at us and just say, "What a bunch of losers." Jesus does not look at me and say, "You know what? I made a mistake when I put you in charge of that church." Jesus does not look at you and say, "I made a mistake when I created you." Jesus does not look at anyone and go, "What a loser."

Jesus looks at us and has compassion and he wants to reach out and touch us and heal us, because he is the compassionate healer. Are you crying out to Jesus to heal your life, to heal your marriage, to heal your body, to heal your soul, to heal your emotions? You can be just like that leper who said to Jesus, "You, you got the power to heal me, but do you care? Are you willing? Will you?" And Jesus, filled with compassion, will reach out and touch us and heal us. He is the compassionate healer.

A fifth observation from scripture: Jesus is the miracle worker. He is the miracle worker. Matthew Chapter 8 says, this is right after the Sermon on the Mount, gathered them all together, got in a boat, went on the Sea of Galilee, says, Jesus got into the boat, the disciples followed him, and without warning a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat, but Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him and they said, "Lord, save us. We are going to drown."

And he replied, "You have little faith, why are you so afraid?" And then he got up and he rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. And the men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him." Did you know that Jesus has absolute authority over nature, demons and human need? The Bible records miracle after miracle that Jesus performed as the one who had authority over what he made.

Jesus is a miracle worker and Jesus can do a miracle in your life. Jesus can do miracles over nature. Jesus can do miracles over the demonic world. Jesus can do miracles in the area of human need. A couple of weeks ago, I, I, I did a wedding, it was up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at the Trump golf course, beautiful. And in the rehearsal, as we are outside, about, you know, going through the aspects of the, of the wedding ceremony, the marine layer was kind of coming in, and as we began to talk, several of the members of the wedding party and the bride said, "Boy, I, you know, I hope that, that is not foggy like that when we have the wedding. I hope it is crystal clear because you can just see all the way out to Catalina, it is gorgeous."

And I said to the wedding coordinator who was kind of running everything at the place, I said, "Well, you know, see if you can do something about that to make sure that the fog is not here tomorrow when we have the wedding." And she laughed, she goes, "No, I think that is more your department." Well, it is not my department, but it is Jesus's department. He has authority over the weather, over the earth, over the sea, over the heavens, over the unseen world, over the emotional world in our lives. Jesus can heal. He is the miracle worker.

Are you asking Jesus to do a miracle in your life? Are you asking Jesus to do a miracle for your marriage, for your kids, for your finances? Have you come to Jesus like Peter in John 6 and said, "Lord, I have nowhere else to go. You alone have the words of eternal life." Do you believe in Jesus? And have you surrendered your whole life to Jesus Christ? Have you accepted Jesus's challenge when he said, "If you want to be one of my disciples, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me." Have you gone public and said, "I do not care what anybody else thinks or says, I am following Jesus."

Here is a sixth thing: Jesus is the bondage breaker. He is the bondage breaker. Mark Chapter 1, "They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. And just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed of an evil spirit cried out, 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, you are the Holy One of God.' 'Be quiet,' Jesus said sternly, 'and come out of him.' And the evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. And the people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching? And with authority he even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.'"

Jesus sets people free from spiritual bondage. John Chapter 8, Jesus said, "If the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." Galatians 5:1 says, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free." Jesus wants to set us free. Jesus has the authority to set us free. Jesus is the bondage breaker. He can break the bondage of demonic influence. Jesus can break the bondage of addiction. Jesus can break the bondage of secret habits. Jesus can break the, the bondage of, of a, of a dysfunctional family. Jesus can break the bondage of the past. He can set us free. And he wants to set us free. He delights in setting people free.

Have you come to Jesus and just asked him to set you free? Have you humbled yourself before Jesus Christ and said, "I am letting go of anything and everything else that I have been trusting in and I am trusting in you alone. Set me free, Jesus. Make me whole, clean up my life. I am following you."

Well, the next observation what the Bible teaches, what we believe about Jesus Christ, is that Jesus is the crucified Savior. He is the crucified Savior. Acts Chapter 2 says this, this is Peter on the day of Pentecost. "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, and you with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross."

And in Peter's letter, in 1st Peter, 1st Peter 2:24, Peter quotes from the Isaiah 53 passage and tells us the meaning of that death on the cross. He says in 1st Peter 2:24, "Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed." Jesus Christ is the crucified Savior. Have you come to Jesus and asked him to forgive your sins?

You see, the death of Jesus Christ, the atonement of Jesus Christ, the payment of Jesus Christ on the cross, it is sufficient for all, but it is efficient only for those who call upon the name of the Lord. Have you called upon the name of the Lord? Have you come to Jesus Christ as the only one who can forgive your sins? Have you trusted in Christ alone and relished in the fact that Christ died for you? That Jesus is your crucified Savior.

Well, not only is Jesus the crucified Savior, Jesus is the resurrected Lord. He is the resurrected Lord. Romans Chapter 1 says this: "In the gospel, God promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, regarding his son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and through the Holy Spirit was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, he is Jesus Christ our Lord." That is a mouthful. What Paul says there in, in introducing this, this letter to the Romans in Romans Chapter 1, is that the gospel is all about Jesus Christ.

And the scriptures, the Holy Scriptures in the Hebrew scriptures, reveal that he was of the line of David. And the Holy Spirit declared him to be the Son of God by resurrecting him from the dead. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. It was the resurrection that declared Jesus to be the Son of God. Now, Paul does not use a, a term for "declare" in this passage that he uses in other passages. It is not like he spoke him to be the Son of God, he communicated him to be the Son of God, he revealed him to be the Son of God, or he proved him to be the Son of God. He, it is a very unique word that he uses. And it is translated in, in the NIV as he declared him to be the Son of God. It is the Greek word "horizo". It is, it is actually the word where we get the word "horizon".

If we were all to go down to the beach here about sunset and look out, we, we would see the horizon at some point. And scientifically we probably could measure how far the human eye could actually see, and we could see that far, but then it would be by the, by the curvature of the earth and just by the way that the eye functions, we could see like something rise above that which is in our furthest distance, and that is what we call the horizon.

Jesus was horizoned above everybody else as the Son of God. And what was the means by which God horizoned him above everybody else, showing him to be the Son of God? The resurrection.

Jesus is the resurrected Lord. Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your resurrected Lord? Are you following Jesus Christ as you, your resurrected Lord? Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? Have you surrendered every part of your life to Jesus because he is the resurrected Lord? Have you invited Jesus to be at the center of your life, the center of your marriage, the center of your goals, the center of your finances, the center of your parenting? Have you asked Jesus to be the Lord of every part of your life? Because he is the resurrected Lord.

Here is a ninth observation. We are going to make it, believe it or not. Jesus is the interceding high priest. The interceding high priest. It says this in Hebrews Chapter 7. "Now there have been many priests, but since death prevented them from continuing in their office, Jesus is different because he lives forever. He has a permanent priesthood, and therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them."

This is good news. Jesus is my high priest right now, and he saves me completely because he lives forever interceding for me. There is never going to come a time when some sin that JP commits can be held against me, not only because Jesus died for it already, but because in real time, presently, Jesus is interceding for that. I do not mean to blow your bubble, but you know what? Your pastor still sins. In fact, there is a good chance that today, before this day is out, in some way I will sin. But I have a high priest who intercedes for me, who will stand before the judgment of God and say, "I have already paid for that sin. He is forgiven, he is cleansed, he is mine."

He intercedes for me and he does it forever, so there will never come a time where any sin that I commit can be held against me and disqualify me from the eternal life that has been promised to me through Jesus Christ. It is not based on what I do, it is based on what Jesus has done and what he continues to do as my high priest. Have you come to a place to acknowledge that? Are you still trusting in your efforts, your ability? Or are you still wallowing in the guilt of your inability, rather than accepting the free gift of forgiveness and the hope of Christ's intercession?

Jesus is our high priest. Are you trusting in him alone as the one who has forgiven you and continues to cleanse you because he intercedes for you?

One last thing, certainly not the last thing that we could say about Jesus, but the last thing I have time to say to you. Jesus is the returning King. He is the returning King. 2 Thessalonians 1 says this: "All this is evidence that God's judgment is right and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just and he will pay back to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled. This will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction, they will be shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. On that day when he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at by all of those who believe and this includes you because you have believed the gospel about Jesus Christ." Wow!

When Jesus comes back, he is not coming to take a side, he is coming to take over. He is the returning King. Is he the King of your life right now? Have you humbled yourself before him right now? Have you acknowledged him as the King right now? Are you worshiping him as the King right now? See, all this stuff is not just for our information. It is for our transformation.

And among us here, pardon me if I just simplify it, but I cut to the bottom line. Among us here, there are those of us who know Jesus Christ and those of us who do not know Jesus Christ. If you do not know Jesus Christ, today could be the day of salvation for you. Today it could be the day that you open up your heart to Jesus as the crucified Savior. You believe in him as the resurrected Lord. You call upon him as the compassionate healer. You, you, you ask him to be your bondage breaker. Today. And to those of us who know him, are we living in full union with him? Have we surrendered ourselves to him? Have we crossed the line and we publicly acknowledged him? Today could be the day when you let go of everything else and say with a singleness of passion, "I am pursuing after Jesus Christ."

I, I would be remiss as your pastor to leave a moment like this to just go based on what we have been studying in the Word of God. This is a truth that should cause rejoicing and hope and life transformation if we follow Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we would like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today's date. We will send it your way for just $5. Or if you would like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653 or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That is 949-916-0250.

For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP's new book, "Facing Goliath." Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or check us out on the web at crosslinechurch.com. We are going to get to the address and phone number again in a moment, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today's message?

JP Jones: Thanks, Greg. Jesus Christ is the unique God-man. He alone is the way of salvation. Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the only God. And the Bible teaches that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He walked this earth. He died on a cross. He rose again from the dead. Jesus Christ is unique. He stands apart from every other person who ever lived. The biblical term for the uniqueness of Jesus is the Greek word "monogenos." It literally translates as "only begotten," but the significance of the term means "one and only, unique one, like no other." In John Chapter 1, it says of Jesus that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is the unique one, the one and only, because he is both God and man. And as the God-man, we are to worship him. As the God-man, we are to believe in him as our Savior. As the God-man, we are to follow him as our Lord. What is your response to Jesus Christ today?

Whether you have been following Christ for years or you have yet to come to know him, today, would you surrender to Jesus as the God-man and follow him as your Lord and Savior? God, thank you that you sent your son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Jesus, we believe that you are the unique God-man and we want to follow you as the Lord of our lives. We surrender our lives to you. We acknowledge that you are our Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Guest (Male): We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or call us at 949-916-0250. On the internet, you will find us at crosslinechurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to crosslinechurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.