Who is Jesus?

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Creator Who Knits Worlds From Nothing

The universe began as an empty canvas before God spoke galaxies into being. He didn’t assemble creation from spare parts but called light, land, and life out of void. This same God shaped Adam from dust and Eve from rib, imprinting His image into human DNA. Every fingerprint, sunset, and thunderclap declares His authorship. To forget this truth is to mistake the masterpiece for random brushstrokes. [03:56]

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see God’s intentional design most clearly in your body, relationships, or surroundings? How might remembering His authorship change your gratitude today?

Day 2: Three-in-One Dancing at Dawn’s Edge

The Trinity isn’t a theological puzzle but a divine dance witnessed in creation’s first moments. Father, Son, and Spirit collaborated in forming mountains and mitochondria, their unity sparking diversity. Like water simultaneously existing as liquid, solid, and vapor in a storm cloud, God’s triune nature defies containment yet sustains all things. [09:25]

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27, ESV)

Reflection: When have you sensed the Trinity’s presence collaborating in your life like partners building a mosaic? How does this change your view of God’s nearness?

Day 3: The Life Raft We Cling To and Release

Peter’s mistake wasn’t asking Jesus to save him from sinking—it was treating the Savior as a temporary fix. Like a life raft used only in emergencies, we often grab Jesus during crises only to push Him aside when seas calm. Yet the waves never truly stop; our need for His grip never diminishes. [15:21]

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him. (Matthew 14:30-31, ESV)

Reflection: What current struggle makes you cling to Christ like a life raft? Where have you recently pushed Him away, assuming you could swim alone?

Day 4: Grandchild Brag vs. God’s Glory Hush

Photos of grandchildren flow freely, but testimonies of Christ stick in throats. We chronicle kids’ milestones yet mute heaven’s miracles. The same lips that narrate fishing trips and garden harvests often seal shut about salvation’s story—as if God’s deeds deserve less celebration than deer season’s trophy. [31:35]

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last share a God-story as eagerly as a family update? What holds you back from bragging about Christ’s work in your life?

Day 5: Praying With Ears Open to Heaven’s Whisper

We treat prayer like drive-thru orders—talking fast, expecting instant answers, and speeding off. But Daniel lingered 21 days, listening through angelic static. Prayer isn’t a monologue but a walkie-talkie connection; the static between our words holds divine replies waiting for our pause to hear them. [35:33]

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

Reflection: What question have you been repeating without pausing to listen? How could silence deepen your next conversation with God?

Sermon Summary

God is the creator of the universe, not just somebody to think about on Sunday morning. God made everything out of nothing, and that is the difference between making something and creating something. Mankind can make a lot of things, but mankind has never made something out of nothing. God made man from the dust, made woman in his image, knitted every person together, and knows every hair on every head, even where the numbers are getting lower.

Jesus is not less than God. Jesus is the Son of God, God with us, the Word of God, the Lamb of God, the good shepherd, the bread of life, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The Trinity is not God switching modes, like water turning into liquid, ice, or steam. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are God all at once, all the time, right there in creation when God says, “Let us make man in our image.”

Jesus was there at creation, and everything was made by him and through him. Jesus became a man, humbled himself as a servant, was mocked, beaten, and killed for sin, still God. Jesus rose on the third day to glorify God and give everlasting life, still God. Unbelief does not make him less than God, and excuses do not move him off the throne.

Treating Jesus like Santa Claus, a doctor, or a life raft misses who he is. Jesus is not just there for a wish list, a sick day, or a drowning moment. Peter started sinking when his eyes came off Jesus, and the same thing happens every day when a person thinks, “I got this.” Jesus is still God when church people are hypocrites, when someone feels not good enough, when someone says they do not need him, or when someone calls the Bible fan fiction.

Believing that Jesus is God changes everything. Creation starts looking different, from trees in a deer stand, to fresh turned dirt, to beach water, to rain clouds getting full. People start looking different too, because every person is a creation of God, and petty mess loses its grip. The Holy Spirit opens eyes to the truth, and old habits, old sins, and old ways of thinking cannot feel the same anymore.

Following Jesus becomes an all-the-time thing, not just Sunday or Wednesday. Love for grandkids shows up in pictures and stories, so love for Jesus ought to show up in speech, service, worship, prayer, and obedience. Prayer also has to leave room for listening. Being still before God may reveal that the answer was not absent, but ignored.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is still God The truth about Jesus does not lean on public opinion, personal comfort, or religious background. Excuses can pile up, but none of them change who he is. Faith starts getting serious when Jesus is no longer treated as an accessory to life, but as Lord over life. [18:08]
2. Stop using Jesus like Santa Claus A prayer life built only around wants turns God into a tool instead of worshiping him as God. Needs, pain, and sickness belong before him, but they cannot be the whole relationship. The heart gets exposed when Jesus only hears from a person during a crisis or a craving. [12:45]
3. Creation should wake up worship Trees, dirt, rain, water, animals, and people are not background decorations. Creation keeps saying that God made this, God did this, God is behind this. A person who really sees the Maker starts losing the appetite for petty prejudice, because every human being stands as a creation of God. [23:39]
4. Love talks about what it treasures Grandchildren, hobbies, cars, boats, and even a chicken named Fannie Mae can come up in conversation with no trouble. Silence about Jesus may reveal not wisdom, but fear of being thought strange. Real love does not need to be ugly, but it also cannot stay hidden forever. [31:35]
5. Prayer must make room for listening Talking to God is not the same thing as giving God attention. A person can ask 4,800 questions and never sit still long enough to hear anything. Sometimes the issue is not that God has refused to answer, but that the soul has refused to be still.

## [35:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:30] - A World That Forgot God
[03:56] - Creating Out of Nothing
[05:10] - Made in God’s Image
[06:17] - Who Is Jesus?
[07:50] - The Trinity Is Not Modalism
[10:33] - The Names and Glory of Jesus
[12:45] - Jesus Is Not Santa Claus
[14:26] - Jesus Is Not a Life Raft
[15:52] - Peter Takes His Eyes Off Jesus
[18:08] - Jesus Is Still God
[21:37] - Everything Changes When Jesus Is God
[22:46] - Seeing Creation Differently
[31:35] - Talking About the One Loved Most
[35:13] - Be Still and Listen

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 10:30 — “I and the Father are one.” [18:08]

Observation questions

In John 10:30, what does Jesus actually claim about himself when he says, “I and the Father are one”?
What were some of the ways Jesus was described by name or title—such as Lamb of God, good shepherd, bread of life, and Alpha and Omega—and what do those names show about who he is? [10:33]
What examples were given of treating Jesus in the wrong way, like Santa Claus, a doctor, or a life raft? [12:45]
What everyday parts of creation were pointed to as reminders that God made this—things like trees, fresh turned dirt, water, rain, animals, and people? [23:39]

Interpretation questions

If Jesus says, “I and the Father are one,” why does that matter so much for how a person understands Jesus—not just as a teacher or helper, but as God himself?
God’s truth does not change when people doubt, resist, or make excuses. What does it reveal about the human heart when someone says, “I don’t need him,” “church people are hypocrites,” or “I’m not good enough,” while Jesus is still God? [18:08]
If a person mainly turns to Jesus in moments of want, sickness, or crisis, what does that suggest about the relationship that person thinks he has with Christ? [12:45]
If believing Jesus is God changes the way a person sees creation and other people, why would that begin to loosen the grip of prejudice, bias, and petty mess? [26:25]

Application questions

When in the past week has Jesus mostly been treated like Lord, and when has he been treated more like a helper for emergencies, wants, or stress? [14:36]
Where is it easiest right now to say, even quietly, “I got this,” and take the eyes off Jesus? What usually starts the sinking in that area? [16:59]
What part of creation most easily wakes up worship—trees, water, rain, dirt, animals, sky, or something else? How could that become a regular reminder to stop and thank God? [22:46]
Every person is a creation of God. Is there any prejudice, irritation, or petty mess that needs to lose its grip because of that truth? [26:25]
Love talks about what it treasures. What makes it easy to talk about family, hobbies, cars, or daily life, but hard to talk about Jesus? [31:35]
If following Jesus is an all-the-time thing and not just a Sunday or Wednesday thing, what would need to change in speech, habits, service, worship, or obedience this week? [29:19]
Prayer needs room for listening, not just talking. What would it look like in a real, practical way to be still before God this week and give him undivided attention? [35:13]

Sermon Clips

64s

#GodIsStillGod

“You might say, I don't believe in it. He's still God. He doesn't depend on your belief to be god. I don't like going to church. Still god. Church people are hypocrites. Still god. And, yes, church people are hypocrites in all other kinds of sinners too. Christians are judgmental. Jesus is still god. I'm not good enough. Still god. I don't need him. He's still god. I don't wanna stop doing the things that I'm doing. He's still god. I'm an atheist. He's still God. I'm Muslim. He's still God. I'm Buddhist. He's still God. I believe the Bible is fan fiction. He's still God.”

40s

#PrayBeyondNeed

“We treat Jesus like a cosmic Santa Claus. We treat Jesus like a doctor. Where some of us, the only time we ever talk to Jesus is when we're sick or we're hurting. And I'm not telling you not to pray when you're sick, and I'm not telling you not to pray when you're hurting. Of course, pray when you're sick and you're hurting. Of course. But that shouldn't be the only time you're praying. It shouldn't be the only time you cry out to god.”

50s

#TalkToJesusNotJustAsk

“Do you know anybody that the only time they ever talk to you is when they want something? What do you do to that person? Oh, y'all got quiet. You avoid them. Right? I'm look. I know you it got to a point where I was asking so many people to serve on so many ministries. When I called, they wouldn't see my name and not answer the phone. Because they knew if I was coming, I was getting ready to ask them to do something. It ain't changed. They don't run away. If the only time you talk to Jesus is when you want something, then you're doing it wrong.”

48s

#JesusChangesEverything

“What changes when we grasp the idea that Jesus is god? That God exists, that Jesus is God. What what changes in your life when you really get a hold of that? Everything. Everything changes. Jesus said you had to be born again. You're created anew. You become a new creature. Why? Because you have believed that Jesus is exactly who he said he was right here in verses 24 to 29.”

60s

#JesusCreatorAndSavior

“He was at the creation. He took part in the creation. And John says that everything was created by him and through him. He was sent to earth as a man to save mankind. Still God. Paul said he humbled himself by becoming as a servant. Still God. He was mocked, beaten, and died for our sins, still God. He rose from the grave on the third day to glorify God and to enable us to have everlasting life, steal God.”

66s

#BelieveForEternity

“Jesus said he came that we might believe. That we might believe what? That we might believe that Jesus That he became man. He walked on this earth. He lived a sinless, perfect life. And then he was beaten. He was tortured. He was persecuted. And he was killed to pay your price for sin. He died in our place. God raised him from the dead on the third day so that we could enjoy an eternity with him. Y'all y'all realize what eternity is. Right? That's from now on.”

72s

#BragAboutGod

“How much do we talk about him? How much do we talk about Jesus? How much do we talk about how Jesus is God to people that we might not even know? We don't have problems talking about our grandkids. We don't have problems talking about our cars and our boats and our whatever, my chicken, my one chicken. Her name is Fannie Mae. We'll talk about that. Right? So why don't we talk about God? Because they might talk about us. They might think about us a little bit different. You know, we do still live in America. We can still talk about God. Other countries can't. But let me clue you in. They do.”

55s

#ShowOffJesus

“But here's the point. We love our kids. Right? We love our grandkids, and we love our great grandkids. I'm sure there's some of you in here that have great grandkids. I don't know if we have any great great grandparents in here, but if we do, god bless you too. We know that you love them because you carry pictures of them in your wallet, in your purse. You talk about them every chance you get. You show them off. You're proud of them. And you love them and you should and that's right and that's good. How much do you brag on God? How much do you talk about the the one you claim to love above all others?”

Ask a question about this sermon

RiverBend Church This sermon · AI assistant

How does believing Jesus is God change everything?

How should prayer become more than petition?

How can finite minds apprehend the Trinity?