Jesus Who?
So i found this blog post and thought it was awesome. What do think of it?
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Who do you say I am? by Kevin DeYoung
The greatness of God is most clearly seen in His Son. And the glory of the Gospel is only made real in His Son.
Matthew 16: 13-17 “Who do you say I am?”
That question is still so important today because Jesus is a popular man.
- Republican Jesus – who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values, and owning firearms.
1 Democrat Jesus – who is against Wallstreet and Wal-mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.
2 Therapist Jesus – who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be
hard on ourselves.
3 Starbucks Jesus – who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid vehicle, and goes to film festivals
4 Open-minded Jesus – who loves everyone all the time no matter what (except for people who are not as open-minded as you).
5 Touchdown Jesus – who helps athletes run faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes
of Super Bowls.
6 Martyr Jesus – a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him
7 Gentle Jesus – who was meek and mild, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, and walks around barefoot, wearing a sash
(while looking very german).
8 Hippie Jesus – who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagine a world without religion, and helps us
remember that “all you need is love.”
9) Yuppie Jesus – who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat
10) Spirituality Jesus – who hates religion, churches, pastors, priests, and doctrine, and would rather have people out
in nature, finding “the god within” while listening to ambiguously spiritual music (enya).
11) Platitude Jesus – good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and bad sermons, inspiring people to believe in themselves.
12) Revolutionary Jesus – who teaches us to rebel against the status quo, stick it to the man, and blame things on “the system”.
13) Guru Jesus – a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center
14) Boyfriend Jesus – who wraps his arms around us a we sing about his intoxicating love in our secret place
15) Good example Jesus – who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you
Then there’s Jesus Christ
-The Son of the Living God
-Not just another prophet
-Not just another Rabbi
-Not just another wonder worker
-the one they (the Jews) had been waiting for
-the Son of David
-Abraham’s chosen seed
-the one to deliver us from captivity
-the goal of the OT Law
-Yhwh in the flesh
-the one to establish God’s reign and rule
-heals the sick
-gives sight to the blind
-freedom to the prisoners and proclaim Good News to the poor
-the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world
-the Ultimate Sacrifice
This Jesus was the Creator come to earth and the beginning of a new creation. He embodied the covenant, fulfilled
the commandments, and reversed the curse. This Jesus is the Christ that God spoke of to the serpent, the Christ
prefigured to Noah in the flood, the Christ promised to Abraham, the Christ prophesied through Balaam before
the Moabites, the Christ guaranteed to Moses before he died, the Christ promised to David when he was king, the Christ
revealed to Isaiah as a suffering servant, the Christ predicted through the prophets and prepared for through John the Baptist.
This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God.
He is the Father’s Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins–more loving, more holy, and more wonderfully
terrifying than we ever thought possible.
