Who Is Jesus?

Devotional

Day 1: The Word Became Flesh and Pitched His Tent Here

John’s gospel declares that Jesus didn’t just visit humanity—he moved into the neighborhood. The eternal God who spoke galaxies into being wrapped himself in skin, walked dusty roads, and faced hunger, grief, and temptation. This isn’t a distant deity sending instructions, but God breathing our air, weeping our tears, and proving that holiness and humanity can coexist. When we struggle to believe God understands our pain, we remember Jesus’ scars. [44:12]

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
(John 1:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you most need to sense Jesus’ nearness today? How does his choice to “pitch his tent” in our broken world reshape your view of God’s heart for you?

Day 2: The God Who Holds Atoms Also Holds Your Fragments

Colossians 1:17 doesn’t just describe cosmic power—it’s a promise. The same hands that carved mountain ranges and set stars ablaze now hold your unraveling moments. Jesus isn’t merely the architect of creation but the glue preventing chaos from consuming it—and you. When anxiety whispers that everything’s falling apart, remember: your breath, your relationships, your purpose are sustained by the same voice that said “Let there be light.” [38:31]

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
(Colossians 1:17, ESV)

Reflection: What “loose threads” in your life feel most unstable? How might trusting Christ’s sustaining grip change how you handle today’s uncertainties?

Day 3: Blood-Stained Reconciliation at the Kitchen Table

Communion’s juice and bread aren’t religious props—they’re war medals from history’s most decisive battle. The cross wasn’t a tragic accident but God’s deliberate strategy to end the standoff between holiness and humanity. Every time we take the elements, we taste the peace treaty signed in Christ’s blood, declaring rebels like us not just pardoned but adopted. [49:10]

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."
(Colossians 1:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What relationship or circumstance in your life needs Christ’s reconciling power most urgently? How does the cross’s “peace treaty” free you to pursue healing?

Day 4: From Admiring Spectator to Cross-Carrying Participant

Jesus’ question in Mark 8:29 wasn’t a theology exam—it was a recruitment call. Calling him “Lord” means surrendering our director’s chair, not just applauding his wisdom. True discipleship isn’t about agreeing with Jesus’ teachings but letting him rewrite our scripts, even when his path leads through Gethsemane-like gardens we’d rather avoid. [56:45]

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"
(Mark 8:34, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been content to admire Jesus from a safe distance? What specific area of control is he asking you to surrender today?

Day 5: Monday’s Jesus Reveals Sunday’s Authenticity

The real test of faith isn’t our worship lyrics but our weekday choices. That rushed conversation with a coworker, the secret indulgence, the bitterness we rehearse—these moments prove whether we see Jesus as a helpful life coach or the reigning King. Our daily obedience—or lack thereof—answers his question louder than any sermon. [35:54]

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
(James 1:22, ESV)

Reflection: What recent decision exposed a gap between your Sunday confession and Monday actions? How will you align your next 24 hours with Christ’s lordship?

Sermon Summary

Jesus stands at the center of God’s self-revelation. Moses asked to see God’s glory, and God named himself compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful, forgiving, and just toward sin. John then declares that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among humanity, so the glory Moses longed to see is fully revealed in Jesus Christ.

The question “Who is Jesus?” cannot stay as a casual opinion or a fill-in-the-blank answer shaped by culture. Jesus may be called a teacher, prophet, healer, revolutionary, or moral example, but those descriptions cannot contain the claims he made or the worship he received. Who Jesus is determines how a person responds to Jesus. A low view lets Jesus agree with personal preferences; a high view lets his own words and identity set the direction of life.

Paul names Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of his being. Jesus is not merely someone who knew God or spoke about God. Jesus is God. All things were created in him, through him, and for him. All things hold together in him. Jesus was there in creation, part of the “us” and “our” of Genesis, which means that Jesus does not simply belong somewhere in a person’s life. Every part of life belongs to him.

The incarnation brings this staggering truth close. The Creator entered his creation. The eternal entered time. The invisible God made himself visible and moved into the neighborhood. Jesus became fully God and fully human, not half and half. Jesus knew hunger, exhaustion, temptation, rejection, grief, pain, and death, yet he never sinned. His heart never needed to be made clean, because it was always clean. His spirit never needed to be renewed, because he was always one with the Father.

The cross reveals what Jesus came to do. Sin alienated people from God, but Jesus reconciled them through his physical body and his blood shed on the cross. Reconciliation is more than a peace treaty or the end of an argument. Jesus restores relationship and presents sinners holy, without blemish, and free from accusation. A moral teacher could offer instruction, but only the Son of God could rescue and reconcile sinners.

Jesus as Lord brings the claim home. Jesus is not looking for admirers, clicks, followers, or people who simply like his teachings. Jesus calls disciples who believe him, trust him, die to themselves, pick up their cross, and follow him. Knowledge about Christ must become a life brought under his authority.

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Key Takeaways

1. Jesus reveals the glory of God. Jesus is the visible radiance of the invisible God. God’s character is not left as an abstract idea or a distant description, because Christ shows what God is like in flesh and blood. Looking at Jesus keeps God’s compassion, holiness, grace, and justice together. [30:40]
2. Creation belongs entirely to Jesus. Jesus created all things, stands before all things, and holds all things together. This leaves no room for treating Christ like one helpful compartment of life. The life that exists through him and for him is called to come under his care and authority. [43:20]
3. Jesus entered human weakness without sin. The incarnation means Jesus knows hunger, weariness, temptation, rejection, grief, and pain from the inside. Yet his sinlessness means that his empathy is never tangled up in guilt or compromise. Jesus can meet weakness with both understanding and the power to save. [46:31]
4. The cross restores what sin destroyed. Reconciliation is not merely God deciding to stop being angry. Jesus brings alienated sinners back into relationship with God through his blood shed on the cross. His death does what human effort, moral improvement, and religious activity could never do. [50:04]
5. Jesus wants disciples, not admirers. Calling Jesus Lord means more than agreeing with correct statements about him. His lordship reaches into control, timing, desires, decisions, and the parts of life that are easiest to hold back. Discipleship begins where admiration gives way to trust-filled obedience.

## [57:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:09] - God’s Glory Revealed in Christ
[31:10] - Who Is Jesus?
[33:54] - Who Jesus Is Determines Response
[36:23] - Jesus Is God
[38:17] - Christ, Creator and Sustainer
[43:57] - Jesus Became One of Us
[45:09] - Fully God and Fully Human
[47:58] - Reconciled Through the Cross
[50:46] - More Than a Moral Teacher
[52:44] - Jesus Is Lord
[54:29] - The Call to Discipleship
[59:24] - Communion and Confession of Faith

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 1:15-20
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” [38:17]

John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” [30:15]

Mark 8:29
“And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” [33:18]

Observation questions

In John 1:14, what does John say the Word did, and what did people see as a result? [30:15]
In Colossians 1:15-17, what words and phrases describe Jesus’ relationship to God, creation, and all things?
According to Colossians 1:19-20, how is peace made, and what does Jesus accomplish through his death? [48:31]
In Mark 8:29, how does Jesus move the conversation from what “people” say to a personal question for his disciples? [55:12]

Interpretation questions

Colossians says that all things were created through Jesus and for Jesus, and that all things hold together in him. What does this reveal about Jesus’ place in the universe and in a person’s everyday life? [43:16]
John says the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Why does it matter that Jesus is fully God and fully human rather than merely a wise human teacher or a distant God? [45:00]
Jesus experienced hunger, exhaustion, temptation, rejection, grief, and pain, yet he never sinned. How does his sinlessness make him both able to understand human weakness and able to rescue sinners? [46:31]
Reconciliation is more than ending a conflict; it restores relationship. What does it mean that Jesus presents those who trust him as holy, without blemish, and free from accusation? [50:04]

Application questions

When someone asks, “Who is Jesus?” what answer comes most naturally to mind? Does that answer reflect Jesus as Lord, Creator, Savior, and God in the flesh, or does it keep him at a safer distance?
Jesus does not simply belong in one area of life; every part of life belongs to him. What area is hardest to place under his authority right now—relationships, work, money, habits, plans, or timing? What would trusting him there look like this week? [43:20]
Jesus understands weakness from the inside, including temptation, rejection, grief, and pain. Where do you most need to bring your weakness honestly to him rather than hiding it, managing it alone, or numbing it?
Because Jesus reconciles sinners through his blood, guilt and accusation do not get the final word for those who belong to him. Is there a past sin, failure, or accusation that still shapes how you think God sees you? How might the truth of reconciliation change your response?
It is possible to admire Jesus’ teaching without truly following him. What is one clear area where you sense Jesus calling you to obey rather than simply agree? [56:48]
Calling Jesus Lord means giving him authority over control, desires, decisions, and timing. Where are you tempted to ask Jesus to “bless your mess” instead of surrendering control to him? [53:35]
A disciple believes Jesus, trusts Jesus, and follows Jesus. What is one concrete step of trust-filled obedience you can take before the group meets again? [56:55]

Sermon Clips

37s

#TrustingJesus

“And when we trust in Jesus, but what we're saying is is that I believe that Jesus is aware, that he cares, and that he has good for my life. And that good is not always seen in the moment and the time, but I can ultimately see his fingerprints in my life. And as I was spending time not only, in my daily, time in the word this week, but preparing on this message, this was the question that I was asking myself, and I'm just gonna go ahead and put it up on the screen for you. Is the Jesus that I'm confessing on Sunday the Jesus that I'm trusting on Monday?”

60s

#Incarnation

“Lean in. Listen to this. That means that the creator entered his creation. That means that the eternal entered into time. That means that the invisible god made himself visible. And God could have shouted this from the heavens, but he didn't do that. He drew near. Or as some translations say, he moved into our neighborhood. Jesus moved into our neighborhood. And this is a foundational doctrinal truth, the foundation series that we're in. It's a big fancy word. It's gonna come up on the screen. It's on your notes. It's called incarnation. Now incarnation means that Jesus is fully god and fully human. Doesn't mean that he's 50% god and 50% human. He is fully god and fully human.”

31s

#JesusSaves

“and his work on the cross. And if all we needed was a good moral teacher, then we could just read his teachings. If all we needed was just an example to follow, then we could do our best to follow his his example. But I want you to catch this, friends, that Jesus is God's son who became human to reconcile and to rescue sinners like me. That is what Christ did.”

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