Who is Jesus?
The Real Answer Will Change Your Life Forever
We don't just believe that Jesus was, we believe that Jesus IS and still is to come.
We believe what the bible teaches, Jesus is God made flesh. He came into the world; lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death; on the third day God raised Him from the dead to show that he was innocent and had suffered and died, for the sins of others and not his own sin.
The truth is that all of humanity is lost because of sin; all the world is sick and needs healing; broken and needs restoration; hopeless and needs the promise of the Good News that Jesus is coming again; returning to make everything right but also to Judge the world. We are all under a death sentence apart from God's mercy in Christ.
There is a day which God has appointed to judge the world and a man - Jesus Christ whom he has appointed to do this task. Jesus is the great accountant who will come and settle every account. We will all stand before Christ in the final judgment - many will perish but for those who have believed upon him; who take Him at his word that he is who he says he is and choose to live for him, his death has become our death - his life our life; we will enter the Kingdom of God. For us who have received him, we have been given the right to become children of God; our judge has become our saviour. For those in Christ, there no longer remains a fearful expectation of judgement but of great hope. There will be no more crying, or weeping, or pain, but a Kingdom of Peace.
“We all like sheep have gone astray and God has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
The central distinction for Christians, that makes the Christian faith unique, is who we believe Jesus Christ is and how we as followers should receive him into our lives. For some, Jesus was just a good teacher, for others a good moral example or allegorical lesson, still for others he was just a historical figure that was used to control others and promote institutional power. For we who believe the claims that Jesus made about himself in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - also seen to be replicated in the other New Testament writings), we confess that Jesus is:
The eternal son of God
The hope of the world
The wisdom of the eternal God
The suffering servant
The manifestation of God's true nature
The only way of salvation from the coming judgment
God's chosen King
The only way to understand life and our created purpose.
The inescapable truth - 10/10 people die. We die because everyday we choose to live without the author of life. We die because that is what our lifetime of sin and rebellion deserves. We die because apart from God’s mercy we are under a curse and cut off from God. When God comes as a King to rebels, he demands three things:
Absolute Surrender.
The death of those who have instigated and led rebellious behaviour.
The execution of all who have chosen to live as rebels and have harmed his people and Kingdom.
But here’s the good news: God sent Jesus, who became a curse for us when he hung upon the cross. He lived a life we could not live and paid a price we could not pay. Because he died in our place when he had committed no sin, we can escape the death we deserve. His death can become our death; our payment. If we choose to give up living for ourselves, to living life our own way, and choose God's way that has been revealed in the scriptures, in creation, and in the coming of His only Son Jesus; then we will never die but will be with the Lord until we are raised to life. We die to ourselves and live for him because he died for us, and rose again to make us right again with God. This is the promise we have, this is the great exchange - our sin passed onto him, his righteousness and life passed onto us.
That’s right - the one who believes will never die.
ALL THAT IS LEFT OF GOD’S REQUIREMENTS FOR US TO HAVE LIFE AND PEACE IS THIS…
ABSOLUTE SURRENDER.
John 3:16 puts it like this,
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever [anyone who] believes in him, shall not perish/die but have eternal life."
Whoever means anyone - it’s not exclusive. It can include you too. Notice that the whoever is not followed up by the phrase "believes in whatever." Instead it says anyone/whoever (inclusive) believes in him (exclusive) "will have eternal life."
If we believe that Jesus is who he says he is, then we will do as he says; we will be loyal to him now. Belief leads to action.
When we believe/trust/receive Jesus, we HAVE eternal life; we receive life.
Do you have a past you’re wanting to leave behind?
Do you long for more than what you know the world can offer?
Are you tired of looking for answers in all the wrong places?
Come to Jesus just as you are.
We’re here to make the introduction and help you along the way.
We dedicate a large portion of our ministry in Waimakariri, North Canterbury, New Zealand, to teaching people about who Jesus is and what he has done.
If you're interested in learning about who Jesus is, we have a foundation course starting in November. Sign up below and we'll be in touch with more information. Start your journey today and find the hope and life that you have been searching for. The hope of tomorrow is yours when you make a decision today. Real faith is not blind - it is informed allegiance. We cannot trust in someone we don't know. You might say, "I'm just not that interested" and for many people we would say "how could you be, you might not have the information you need to become interested just yet." Many people hear about Jesus and reject what they think they know; but simply put they don't know what and who they are rejecting. That's why we have designed the foundation course. We're excited to make the introduction.
Take 7 weeks (one night a week) to learn about Jesus.