Four Words on the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ

This week we hear from guest preacher Nathan Betts on the uniqueness of Jesus. Preaching from John 14:1-6, Nathan teaches about the history, love, truth, and wounds of Jesus; giving us the opportunity to reflect on His reality, personhood, attributes, and compassion.

KEY POINTS:

1. History
   • History speaks to the question: is Jesus real?
   • An in depth study of history affirms that our belief of Jesus is based on reality. The Bible is not a self-referencing book; Jesus is rooted in history.
   • The most antagonistic scholars will point you to the Gospels to understand Jesus. There is also lots of data outside of the Bible, including accounts by Roman historians of the time, that show Jesus as a real person in first century Palestine.
2. Truth
   • Truth speaks to the question: who is Jesus? As we look to Jesus, we find out who God is. 
   • If you contrast Christianity with other faiths, you find that the person isn’t crucial, but rather it is the book/teachings/instructions that are crucial the faith. But with Christianity, if remove Jesus, you have no Christianity. Truth is revealed in the person of Jesus.
   • Truth in Greek = to unhide, to reveal; Jesus is revealing, unhiding who God is. 
3. Love
   • Love speaks to the question, what is God like? 
   • John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; Colossians 1:15; Matthew 20:28
   • Tim Keller: “To be loved, but not known is comforting but superficial. To be Known, but not loved, is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved, well that’s a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” God knows us, and loves us, fully. 
4. Wounds
   • Wounds speaks to the question: does He know my pain? Does He know me? My struggles? 
   • John Dixon: “What the Muslim denounces as blasphemy, the Christian holds precious. God has wounds.” 
   • Jesus of Thy Scars
   • John 20:24-29
   • Jesus, in defeating death, overcomes the final enemy. We are invited into resurrection life by taking hold of His hands and following His way.

COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION:

1. How have these four words on the uniqueness of Jesus played a role in your discipleship journey? Do any of them resonate with you more than others?
2. What other words would you include to summarize the uniqueness of Jesus Christ?
3. What is Jesus unhiding, or revealing, in your own life? Pray for these things as a group.