““And if any man shall say unto you, look, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christ’s; and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning comes out of the East, and shines even unto the West; so shall also be the Coming of the Son of Man be.(Matthew 27:23-27)
‘True Face of Jesus’: Photo Credit :”E.D. Midjoumy
I wasn’t going to be writing anything today until I ran across an article titled: “TRUE FACE OF JESUS A.I. RECREATES DETAILED IMAGE OF JESUS BASED ON SHROUD OF JESUS.”
For the sake of time, I have enclosed the link for this article below, for your own reading.
So what can make from this? Well, some might argue that it’s okay since we already know the truth, and we are now free from speculation of who Jesus Christ is, what He taught, all what He prophesied, and yes, even what He looked like.
C.S. Lewis n his book Mere Christianity writes the following: “I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]:
‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.
You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to”
So, who did Jesus claim to be? Who does the Bible say He is?
First, He is God in the flesh. Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”
Okay, at first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to what He said. They tried to stone Him “for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood exactly what Jesus’ was saying. that He was claiming to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews or attempts to clarify His statement. He never says, “I did not claim to be God.” When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), He truly was claiming equality with God.
Why is the question of Jesus’ identity so important?
Why does it matter whether Jesus is God?
• As C. S. Lewis pointed out, if Jesus is not God, then Jesus is the worst of liars and untrustworthy in every way.
• If Jesus is not God, then the apostles would likewise have been liars.
• Jesus had to be God because the Messiah was promised to be the “Holy One” (Isaiah 49:7). Since no one on earth is righteous before God (Psalm 53:1; 143:2), God Himself had to enter the world as a human.
• If Jesus is not God, His death would have been insufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God Himself could provide an infinite, eternally valuable sacrifice (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• God is the only Savior (Hosea 13:4; cf. 1 Timothy 2:3).
If Jesus is to be the Savior, then He must be God.
Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is God:
Jesus Christ was pre-existent with the Father. “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:2, 3, John 17:5 Colossians 1:17.)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
- Even His enemies admitted: “He…said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” John 5:18
- Peter confessed: “And we believe and are sure that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69).
- Jesus Himself affirmed: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30,).
Jesus was sinless, as only God can be.
- Jesus challenged His enemies: “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46,).
- Peter testified: “…Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21, 22).
- Paul said: “For He…made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus forgives sin, as only God can.
- The Scribes said: “Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7).
- Jesus said: “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” (Matthew 9:6). John 8:11.)
- Peter wrote: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus performed miraculous works.
- He healed the sick: Matthew 8:9-13; Luke 4:31-44; 5:12-15; John 4:43
- He fed the hungry: John 6; Mark 8,.
- He raised the dead: Luke 7:11-18; John 11:1-46.
Jesus Christ Became Man:
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, Philippians 2:7, 8.)
(1) Jesus’s miraculous birth was prophesied 800 years before His coming: “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14,).
(2) This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. “Fear not, Mary: for you hast found favor with God. And, behold, you shalt conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:30, 31,).
(3) Jesus had human characteristics: He became tired (John 4:6). He thirsted (John 19:28), He ate food (Luke 24:40-43), He showed feelings (Mark 6:34), He wept (John 11:35), He knew temptation (Hebrews 4:15), And He faced physical death. (John 19:30).
Jesus Christ Accomplished the Works of His Father:
(1) Jesus died on the Cross. This is the fundamental theme of the Gospel.
- The FACT of His death—One-fourth of the Gospels are dedicated to His Passion and Resurrection.
- (A) For this purpose He came into the world (John 12:27).
- (B) His death was prophesied hundreds of years before He came (Isaiah 53:3-8).
- The MEANING of His death.
- (A) It was a RANSOM for sin (Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:24; 1 Peter 1:18). (B) It was to Pay the Penalty for sin (Romans 3:24; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Man is the object of God’s wrath because of rebellion and sin, but God took the initiative in satisfying His wrath by sending His own Son to Calvary. (C) It is a reconciliation. The enmity between us and God has ended (Romans 5:10), and we are restored to God (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19). (D) It is a substitution: Jesus, Himself died in our place (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). (E) Because of Jesus taking our place on the Cross , the matter of sin has been completely dealt with. period. (1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:26; Hebrews 10:12)
(2) Jesus was Resurrected from the dead:
- The REALITY of the RESURRECTION (John 20:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
- The CREDIBILITY of the RESURRECTION (A) Jesus predicted it: Matthew 13:39-41; Luke 24:1-7. (B) The Tomb was EMPTY: John 20:11-13. (C) Many WITNESSES saw Him alive: The women (Luke 23:55, 56); Mary Magdalene (John 20:1, 2, 11-18); Peter and John and other disciples (John 20:3-9, 19, 20, 24-31; 21:1-14).
The Results of His Work:
(1) Jesus ascended to His Father (Luke 24:49-53; Acts 1:6-11).
(2) He is our Eternal Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 1 John 2:1.
(3) He is our Savior: “You shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21,). “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31,).
- Jesus alone is the only Savior. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12,).
- Jesus is a complete Savior. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25,).
- Jesus is a personal Savior. “That if thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, you shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10,).
The Consummation of His Work:
(1) Jesus shall return again to this earth, Jesus is coming back soon! (Acts 1:11; Hebrews 10:37; John 14:3).
(2) Believers in Christ shall be bodily resurrected to begin a new, undying life (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
(3) He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords over His new creation (2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 22:3-5).
Jesus had to be both God and man.
As God, Jesus could satisfy God’s wrath.
As a man, Jesus had the capability of dying.
As the God-man, Jesus is the perfect Mediator between heaven and earth
(1 Timothy 2:5). “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”
Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ
As Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Maybe, today you’re seeking, maybe you’re feeling lost. Maybe you’re lonely, and maybe you’re experiencing tremendous guilt. Maybe you’re tired of running. Maybe you just need to come to Jesus, He’s waiting for you, to do for yourself what you can never do for yourself.
Why don’t you call Jesus? He’s always waiting to hear from you!
Walking the Berean Road 
Marty, that was a wonderfully written article about Jesus. Many would be able to use it in testifying of the reality of Jesus and the fact that HE is God. It sure spoke to me this morning.