Talk

Good or God?

Louie Giglio

October 23, 2016

In the kick-off to this collection, Louie Giglio asks the question, who is Jesus? In the first of five messages, he lays out whether Jesus is good or whether He is God. There are a lot of opinions and beliefs about who we think Jesus is, but find out who Jesus says He is.

Key Takeaway

Jesus is both good and God. Since He claimed to be God and then proved it, we cannot settle for him being solely a great moral teacher. Josh McDowell said he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. He can't be all three, and He has shown us which one He is. He is Lord.

1) Is Jesus real or a hoax?

Jesus split history. We have B.C. and A.D. because of Christ.

Multiple leaders and historians in the ancient Roman world (Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Josephus) reference Jesus, God, Christians, and miracles.

Jesus is historical.

2) Who is Jesus of history?

We are given multiple eyewitness accounts. See John 10:25-33. Jesus tells us exactly who He is in verse 30. Jesus claims to be God! He doesn't claim to be a great moral teacher, prophet, or good person. He claims to be God.

People have a monster problem with Christians, but most think Jesus was great. The problem is He said that He is both good and God, not just a great person. In Josh McDowell's book Evidence That Demands A Verdict, he boils down his thesis that Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord, but He can't be all three. And so, since Jesus told us who he is, we cannot have it both ways. We can't think He is a great teacher, but not Lord. Jesus wasn't crucified for being a good man, He was crucified for claiming to be God. Let Jesus speak for himself and then wrestle with His claims.

3) Who do YOU say that he is?

In Matthew 16:15, we find Jesus with the disciples in Caesarea Philippi, which is known for mass pagan worship. Greek Mythology recognized Pan as the god of the wild, nature, mountains, rustic music, shepherds, and flocks. He held a place of power in their religion. The Cave of Pan is a mysterious and foreboding well, thought to be bottomless. It was the zenith of pagan worship, and the sacrifices there were thought to be taken to the gates of Hades.

Interesting that Jesus decides that HERE is where He will make it known He is in fact, the Messiah. Pan was supposed to the the god to the shepherds, but Jesus says He is the good Shepherd. (John 10:11) The well was where the Jordan River began, but Jesus is the source of Living Water. (John 4:10)

So Jesus asked, who do people say he is? The disciples answered with lots of opinions. Most of which would still be made today; a great prophet. Then he asked, who do YOU say I am? Peter answered Him, "You are the Messiah. The Son of the living God".

4) How did Peter know Jesus was the Messiah?

Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter, which means rock, and gave him an assignment.

The Father revealed it to Peter. He had seen so many miracles and heard Jesus speak the Truth to everyone he met. His experience had been great, but experience isn't enough. We need the Father to reveal. Investigation leads to Revelation.

Investigation - using your mind

Revelation - God opens the eyes of your heart.

A powerhouse believer is one who has used his mind and has his eyes opened by God so that he understands the things of this world, but he has come to know the reality of Christ.

Nothing will prevail against the Church.

“

"Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was divine. There's no getting out of this trilemma."

”

John Duncan

Discussion Questions

Who is Jesus? Is He real or a hoax? What do you believe now and what have you believed in the past?
Have you ever thought of Jesus being the reason history is divided into B.C. and A.D.?
Have you read secondary sources (sources outside the Bible) that prove that Jesus is a real historical person?
If we were to ask people today who Jesus is, what type of answers would we get?
Explain the idea from Josh McDowell and C.S. Lewis saying that Jesus was a liar, lunatic, or Lord, but He cannot be all three.
What did Jesus claim in John 10:30? How does this shut down the claim that He was just a great moral teacher or a prophet?
In Matthew 16:15, Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Why is it such a big deal that He took them there and what did he ask them?
How did Peter know what he said was true about who Jesus was?
What was promised to Peter? Matthew 16:18-19
Are you in a period of investigation, or have you experienced revelation?

Scripture References

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?”

he asked.

“Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus replied,

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter,

and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades

will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be

bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be

loosed in heaven.”

20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,

25Jesus answered,

“I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,

but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all

; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

I and the Father are one.”

31Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

32but Jesus said to them,

“I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

10Jesus answered her,

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Louie Giglio

Louie Giglio is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Institute.