Jesus is the Promised Messiah!

Jesus is God and He is the promised Messiah. This is what the Apostle John set out to help people understand when he wrote the gospel of John. He had spent three years close by Jesus’ side before His death and another fifty years proclaiming the truth of the gospel after Jesus’ ascension. Eventually, John was exiled to an island because he would not stop telling everyone that Jesus is the promised Messiah! (Revelation 1:9)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

All things were created through Him…

Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.

That light shines in the darkness…The true light, who gives light to everyone…

He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.

But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God.

The Word became flesh.

(John 1:1-14)

All along God had told His people that one day He would send them a Savior. Through the words of the prophets, He told them what they should be looking for so that when the Messiah came, they would recognize Him. There are over 300 prophecies that were fulfilled with Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Mathematicians have determined that the odds of any one person fulfilling all these prophecies are basically impossible. One mathematician determined that the likelihood of one person satisfying only eight of the prophecies would be like covering the state of Texas two feet deep with silver dollars, marking one of them and then having it found on the first try by someone who is blindfolded.

And Jesus fulfilled every single one of them!

She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins.” All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet [Isaiah]: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” – which, when translated, means, “God with us.” – Matthew 1:21-22 AMP

God, Himself took on the form of a human being. (Philippians 2:6-8) He became fully human, yet He remained fully God. When Jesus walked the earth, He experienced the same physical needs and the same emotions as we do. He was hungry and thirsty. He was tired. He was sad. He was tempted. He suffered. And ultimately, He died. But the fact that He was God incarnate was demonstrated through His miracles as He turned water to wine, fed the masses with just a few fish, calmed the raging sea, and healed many people. Then ultimately, He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

As John goes on to write his account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, He does so with hindsight. John reflected on everything that had happened during the time he spent with Jesus. He saw Jesus’ love, lessons and miracles unfold before his eyes. He mourned Jesus’ death and celebrated His resurrection. John shares story after story of how he came to know that Jesus is the Messiah.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:18 NLT

Jesus is God and He is the promised Messiah! This is the foundation of the Christian faith. If Jesus was just a prophet or a preacher, then His life would be nothing more than a good example. If He was not fully man, He could not have died in my place on the cross. And if He was not fully God, His sacrifice would have fallen short.