Discovering Jesus Course
1
Jesus and You
Jesus is the best known name in the world. Of all the names of political leaders, religious icons, sporting heroes
or movie stars, none has been polled as more famous than Jesus. In the minds of billions of people, both Christian and non-Christian,
Jesus, quite simply, tops the charts.
But familiarity in itself does not guarantee a whole-hearted acceptance of Christs claims. In fact, as Winifred
Kirkland pointed out:
"Today the greatest single deterrent to knowledge of Jesus is his familiarity. Because we think we know him, we
pass him by." 1
More study has been conducted on the life of Jesus than on the life of any other human being. The Gospel evidence
has been placed under countless academic microscopes, as scholars have sought to dissect the received record in order to determine,
in their minds, who Jesus really was. As Grant Jeffrey points out:
"While there are voluminous articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica about Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar,
Napoleon, Aristotle, and Plato, the amount of historical material and analysis about the teachings of Jesus far exceeds the
attention given to any other individual in the history of man." 2
The question "Who is Jesus?" is not, however, purely an academic one. For if the New Testament description of
Jesus is correct, then each persons eternal destiny hangs on how he or she answers this question.
Read Acts 4:12
In this declaration, made by one of Jesus own disciples, we discover a challenge that is ignored at ones own peril.
Peter proclaims:
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
The New Testament epistles (which are the record of the teachings of Jesus disciples), reverberate with the recurring
theme of salvation through Jesus alone. For example, 1 John 5:12 declares:
"He who has [Jesus] has life; he who does not have [Jesus] does not have life."
You cannot get any more black-and-white than that. And if this statement really is true, then it is important
for every person to understand and know exactly who Jesus is and why our acceptance or rejection of him has eternal consequences.
Read Matthew 16:13-17
At this point in Jesus ministry, he was already well known. In fact, his name was on the lips of almost everyone
in Judea and Galilee. The crowds constantly followed him, so much so that he could rarely find time alone with his disiciples.
But it was during one of those rare moments of solitude that Jesus asked his disciples an important question:
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
Their answers reflected the controversy and indecision at the time. Most people recognized that Jesus was prophet
of some kind, possibly even an ancient prophet returned to life: Elijah or Jeremiah or (more recently) John the Baptist. They
knew that Jesus was unmistakably special; they just didnt know in what way.
Even today, if Jesus asked us the same question "Who do people say that I am?" the answers would be just as various.
Some might say:
A moral example
A rejected prophet
A misunderstood martyr
But after asking the question "Who do people say that I am?" Jesus would undoubtedly follow it up with a second
and more important question:
"But what about you?...Who do you say I am?"
In Matthew 16:16, Peter answered without hesitation. Could you do the same? And to your answer,
would Jesus then reply:
"Blessed are you...for this was not revealed to you by man [or by scholarly study], but by my Father in heaven."
No amount of academic study will answer the fundamental question, "Who is Jesus?" But as we read what the Gospel
record has to say about Jesus, Gods Spirit can indeed reveal what cannot be revealed by human intellectual endeavor. Our prayer
is that, as you study the 365 lessons of this course, you will indeed discover for yourself who Jesus really is and what he
means for your life .
Test for Lesson 1
Question 1
Who is the most famous person in the world?
(1) Michael Jackson
(2) Mel Gibson.
(3) Julius Caesar.
(4) Jesus Christ.
Answer----------
Question 2
According to Winifred Kirkland, what is the single greatest deterrent to knowledge of Jesus?
(1) Ignorance of Jesus.
(2) Familiarity with Jesus.
(3) Opposition from other religions.
(4) Teaching from the cults.
Answer---------------
Question 3
What does Acts 4:12 tell us?
- Salvation is a matter of finding our own path.
(2) Salvation is a matter of being good enough.
(3) Salvation is
found in Jesus alone.
(4) Salvation is found in going to church every Sunday.
Answer-----------
Question 4
(1) "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
(2) "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life."
(3) "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded
us."
(4) "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well."
Answer----------------
Question 5
According to the Bible, which of the following statements is true?
- It doesn't matter what you believe about Jesus. What counts is trying to live a good life like he taught.
(2) Jesus
is just one of many prophets and religious teachers.
(3) Understanding Jesus comes as a result of diligent academic study.
(4)
Understanding who Jesus really is comes as a revelation from the Father.
Answer--------------
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