Which Jesus Do You Love

Introduction: Jn. 8:1-11 (In this story people often see two sides of Jesus. Most herald the Christ who said, "he that is without sin cast the first stone". However, there is more to what he said. He also said, "go and sin no more". This is not a separate Jesus. This is the same man. The same Christ that brings forgiveness also brings responsibility. Many claim to love Jesus. But they often only think of the things about Jesus they like, the tender and forgiving side. Christ has many different aspects of his person, including the part that makes demands on you and me. Think about these facts about Christ and ask yourself which Jesus do you love.)

I. The Easy Jesus: (There is the part of Jesus most find easier to take. This is the part folks want to talk about, want to celebrate, want to claim allegiance to. Think of these representations of Christ.)

1. Baby Jesus: Lk. 2:1-14 (The birth of Christ provides a very sweet story. It gives us joy and hope. It is not threatening and offers no demands. So it is common to focus great attention on this story.)

2. Twelve Year Jesus: Lk. 2:41-49 (This story paints a picture of a great and wise person, though only twelve years old. Many conclude from this there is no doubt a prophet of God. Again, the story poses no obvious demands, offers no intimidating requirements on us personally.)

3. Healer Jesus: Lk. 6:17-19 (This and many occasions reveals Christ healed a great many people. This shows us his love, tenderness, compassion. As we consider these, many feel no demands from Christ, no threat. Many only sense warmth and kindness from this aspect of Christ.)

II. The More Difficult Jesus: (There are these other facts about Jesus that aren t so frequently discussed. When we talk about the charming things people adore Jesus. But when we bring these other facts to bear on the subject people begin to question Christ s identity and legitimacy.)

1. The Christ That Demands Obedience: Jn. 14:15 (The above stories compel us to love Jesus. Here we learn that love demands we be obedient. This represents a part of Christ some find harder to accept. In fact some don t even acknowledge this Jesus, much less embrace him.)

2. The Christ That Demands Discipleship: Lk. 14:26-27 (Jesus taught he has rigorous demands on his disciples. If we are to belong to him and enjoy his blessings, we must be fully devoted to him. This represents another aspect of Christ many will not embrace.)

3. The Christ That Will Return For Revenge: Jude :14-15 (The scriptures also portray Christ as one who is vengeful against sin. He will come again some day to take revenge against all who refused his aid. This too is a side of Jesus many are not eager to acknowledge, much less accept.)

III. Others Wavered About Christ: (Not only do people today waver about Christ or reject certain aspects of him or accept only superficially, people during his ministry did so too. Notice how we mirror these people today in our rejection of certain features of Christ.)

1. Too Common: Mk. 6:2-3 (The people of Christ s home area rejected his teaching because he was too common for them. He was just a carpenter. They couldn t refute his teaching but they wouldn t accept what he taught because there was another side of him, his commonality, they wouldn t embrace. Some today make the similar mistake of rejecting Christ s values because they are too "simplistic" and "old fashioned".)

2. Free Meal: Jn. 6:25-27 (Christ told some they weren t following him for his miracles, they were just following him because he fed many people. This seems to imply some were just out for a free meal. This is symbolic of how some see Christ today. They see him just as a means of blessing, a celestial Santa Clause, a means to a free meal, rather than seeing him as one we should serve.)

3. Hard To Understand: Jn. 6:60-66 (Some of Christ s disciples left him because they found his sayings difficult to understand. In similar fashion, many today don t follow Christ because it s "too hard" or don t study his word because it s "too confusing".)

4. Mission Minded: Lk. 9:51-53 (When going through Samaria, Christ had Jerusalem on his mind. He had to go to Jerusalem and die for the sins of the world. He was mission minded and the Samaritans didn t like that his face was set to go to Jerusalem. In similar fashion, today some people don t like that Christ is mission minded. He has a mission to preach the gospel to the world, and many reject this part of Christ. They like some things about him, but they don t like this because they won t join in the effort for his cause.)

1. The baby Jesus may not be as easy as some would like to think. Baby Jesus came to save man from sin. He was to be ruler over God s people. Mic. 5:2 That means he has the right to rule you and guide you away from sin.

2. The twelve year Jesus may not be as easy as some would like to think. Twelve year Jesus spoke of being about the Father s business. This reminds you and I we have a responsibility to the Father as well.)

3. The healer Jesus may not be as easy on us as some might think. The same power that let him heal enabled him to forgive sins. Mt. 9:5 This means he has the power to forgive your sins, or not. So this power obligates us to seek his favor.

You see, everything about Jesus obligates us. If we think we can get off easy by emphasizing the more palatable aspects of Christ, we are very mistaken. Which Jesus do you love? If you don t love all things about him, you can t have any part of him. We ve read of many people in this study who rejected Christ because they rejected one small part about him. You will do the same if you don t fully embrace him today.)