Knowing Him / 50 Day Study – Day 1
I want to invite you along for a journey in the life of Christ. Between Christmas and Easter, I’ll be blogging each week from Sonlife’s 50 Day Study in the Life of Christ called Knowing Him. Instead of just reading the blog though, why not pick up a copy and dive deep into Jesus with me! You can get an eBook or purchase one at our Store.
This week, we begin with:
The Birth: Jesus’ Identity & Purpose
“For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”
John 1:17-18 NLT
At the outset of John’s Gospel, he reveals Jesus’ identity and purpose.
Two important, big life questions every person must answer.
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
John answers these for Jesus.
1. Who am I? Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the Word. Jesus is God.
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 NLT
He is Creator.
“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”
John 1:3 NLT
He is the Light.
“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
John 1:9 NLT
He is the Son of God.
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
John 1:14 NLT
2. Why am I here? What was Jesus’ purpose in coming?
He came to give us life.
“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.”
John 1:4 NLT
He came to enable us to become children of God.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 NLT
He came to give us a spiritual birth.
“They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
John 1:13 NLT
He came to bless us with God’s unfailing love and faithfulness.
“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:16-17 NLT
He came to reveal the Father to us.
“No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”
John 1:18 NLT
We also see in Matthew’s birth narrative, as well as Luke’s, the answer to these two questions.
1. Who am I? Who is Jesus?
He is Jesus, or Yeshua, the Savior.
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””
Matthew 1:21 NLT
He is the promised Messiah, born of a virgin.
He is Immanuel, God with us.
““Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’””
Matthew 1:23 NLT
He is the Son of the Most High.
“He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.”
Luke 1:32 NLT
He is the King of Kings from David’s royal line.
“And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!””
Luke 1:33 NLT
He is the Savior.
He is the Messiah.
He is the Lord.
“The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
Luke 2:11 NLT
2. Why am I here? What was Jesus’ purpose?
He came to save us.
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””
Matthew 1:21 NLT
He came to “be with” us.
““Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’””
Matthew 1:23 NLT
Just as John told us who Jesus was and why He came, John also made clear who the Baptizer was and why he had come.
John was the forerunner.
John was sent to tell.
“God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.”
John 1:6-7 NLT
Who am I?
Why am I here?
My identity and my purpose are both found in Christ. Apart from Him, all are left searching for who they are and why they’re here, searching for meaning in life.