As we come tonight to consider this giant personality, we are aware of the differing opinions of Jesus. There are those that say He was a mad man (John 10:20). Nothing more and nothing less. He could not be trusted. They were saying that He was a revolutionist, trying to overthrow the religious system and finally take over the political arena. Some said that He was a notorious liar (John 8:13, 35). If He knew that He was not God when He made those bold assertations, then He was a liar. He was deliberately deceiving His followers. But if He was a liar, He was also a hypocrite, because He told others to be honest. If He wasn’t who He said He was, He was living a colossal lie. More than that, He was a demon (John 8:48 49), because he told others to trust Him for their eternal destiny. But most important, He was a fool if He wasn’t who He said He was, because it was these claims that He was making that finally led to His death.

Another crowd said that He could have thought of Himself as God, but could have been mistaken. After all, it is possible to be sincere and be wrong. We must remember that for someone to think of Himself as God, especially in a fiercely monotheistic culture, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depended on believing in Him, is no slight flight of fantasy, but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense.

Was Jesus Christ such a person? When we look at Jesus, we don’t observe any abnormalities and imbalance that usually go along with being deranged. His poise and composure would certainly be amazing if He were insane.

In light of other things we know about Jesus, it’s hard to imagine that He was mentally disturbed. He spoke some of the most profound words ever recorded. His instructions have liberated many individuals in mental bondage. Was He deluded about His greatness? Or paranoid? An unintentional deceiver, or a schizophrenic?

But the skills and depths of His teaching supports the case only for His total mental soundness. How could He be any of those things, when He sailed so serenely over all of His troubles and persecutions, as the sun above the clouds? He always returned the wisest answers to tempting questions. You can’t shut him up as a fool. You can’t kill Him as a demon. To say what Jesus said, and to claim what He claimed about Himself, one must conclude, based upon the Word and His power, that He was who He said He was.

You see, wherever Jesus had been claimed or proclaimed, lives have been changed, nations have changed for the better, thieves have been made honest, alcoholics are cured, hateful individuals become channels of love, unjust persons become just. I believe that Jesus was who He said He was: The Son of God.

What were some of His claims? He said, I am the door. If you get into the kingdom, you must come by me. He said, I am the Good Shepherd; and the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. He said, I and my Father are one. He said I am the Bread of Life. He said, if you want to get into the Kingdom, you must eat my body and drink my blood. He said that God was His father. They said He claims equality with God. Away with Him, He hath a devil with Him.

Tonight, you have come face to face with Jesus. You must reckon with Him now or in eternity. Who is He? He’s the Son of God, He’s the King of Kings, He’s Mark’s Servant, He’s Luke’s Son of Man, He’s John’s Son of God. He’s a consuming fire, He’s Moses’law giver, He’s David’s shepherd, He’s Aaron’s speech writer, He’s Ezekiel’s wheel, He’s Solomon’s wisdom, He’s Joseph’s dream interpreter. He’s a personality from eternity, He’s my hope in a hopeless situation. He’s Daniel’s stone. He’s my joy in times of sorrow. He’s my battle axe, He’s my high tower. He’s my Rock of Ages. He’s my shelter in times of storm. He’s my refuge. He’s my bright and morning star. He’s my Saviour! He’s my
Lord of lords.

Jesus is who He said He was. You ought to trust Him tonight. The centurion confessed He was who He said He was. He said surely, surely this was the Son of God.

Pastor, Dr. Cullian W. Hill

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