One day, Jesus turned to his followers and asked them a probing question: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” As a follow-up, he asks them a more personal question: “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” This is the most important question any human being can answer. No one has had a greater impact upon history, yet Jesus remains the subject of great controversy. Skeptics question whether he ever lived. Christianity affirms that he was the divine Son of God. Most people want to see him as nothing more than a great leader and wise teacher. Perhaps C.S. Lewis summarized it best when he wrote, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.”
What can we help you find?
Jesus: Myth, Madman or Messiah?
Searching for the Real Jesus
Did Jesus really exist? If so – was he everything the Gospels describe him to be? Why don’t we have more evidence of Jesus’s life outside the Bible? Are the Gospels a reliable record of his life and ministry? In this message, we will explore the nature and the reliability of the four Gospels and the reasons why we can trust them as credible witnesses of historical events. As Peter wrote, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
A Resurrection? For Real?
The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Gospel message. It’s what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” But how do we know it really happened? Maybe the disciples conspired to create the resurrection story – knowing it was all a lie. Maybe they had a collective hallucination. Or maybe Jesus never really died and was resuscitated by the coolness of the damp tomb. How do we know that the resurrection really happened? Is there enough evidence to compel belief? This message will explore the reasons for belief in a risen Savior.
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
The Roman author Cicero wrote, “The idea of the cross should never come near the bodies of Roman citizens; it should never pass through their thoughts, eyes or ears.” In the Roman world, the cross was the ultimate object of torture and shame. Yet the cross has become a symbol of hope and forgiveness for billions of people. Why did Jesus need to die? Why is the crucifixion so important to our faith? As the Apostle Paul wrote, “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”