Jesus is more than a religious figure, a church icon or a name people use without thinking. In this first message of a new series, Dr. William P. Hohman introduces who Jesus really is: the eternal Word who existed before Mary conceived Him, who had no beginning, who created all things, and who now hands His name to every believer as the tool for doing His work. He calls it an introduction, because no tongue can tell the full extent of who Jesus is.
Below you will find the full video, a structured summary, the Scripture behind each point (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline and practical steps for the week.
Sermon at a Glance
This message opens a six-part series at NTC Ministries titled simply Jesus. It runs about an hour and ends with an invitation to receive Christ. Pastor Hohman begins by asking what comes to mind when people hear the name. For some it is Savior, Lord or love. For others nothing comes to mind at all, and for some it stirs hatred. He calls Jesus the most controversial figure ever in history.
His goal is not to explain Jesus intellectually, because he teaches that Jesus is beyond human comprehension. Instead he lays out a few pictures from Scripture of who Jesus is, so that believers understand what they carry when they use His name.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Dr. William P. Hohman |
| Series | Jesus, part 1 of 6 (an introduction) |
| Main text | Mark 16:15–18; John 1:1–5; Colossians 1:13–18 |
| Key theme | The eternal Son of God and the authority of His name |
| Length | About 61 minutes, ending with a prayer of salvation |
Who Is Jesus? A Revelation to the Heart, Not an Idea for the Mind
Pastor Hohman starts by drawing a line between Jesus and every other religious idea. Other religions, he says, speak to the intellect, so a person can think through on his own merit who their god is. Jesus is different. He is Spirit, not an intellectual concept, and He is known by revelation that comes from within. We get a picture of Him from the Scriptures, but no mouth can utter who He really is.
He illustrates the difference with the story of a man who once spoke at the church. Raised Hindu, he was beaten so badly by his father for having a Bible that he ended up in the hospital. Years later he found another Bible, gave his life to the Lord, and was tied to a pole in the front yard as an example.
Some religions, he observes, threaten those who leave. God does the opposite: He draws people by love, by showing love and by sharing love. That is why debating about Jesus rarely works. A mind with a stronghold will not be argued out of it. What opens a heart is love and a simple testimony of the good things He has done in your life.
He also notes that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus addressing “the saints” and “the faithful” (Ephesians 1:1). Everyone who gives their life to the Lord is a saint; no organization has to declare it. But not every believer is faithful. Some get angry at God when problems come, which he says amounts to making God like us rather than letting Him make us like Him.
The Name of Jesus Is Your Tool
The first passage of the series is Mark 16:15–18. Jesus sends His disciples into all the world and says signs will follow those who believe: in His name they will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, survive deadly things and lay hands on the sick, who will recover. The phrase “them that believe,” he explains, literally means the believing ones.
Then he makes a practical point with a home project. If he needs a hole drilled and has no drill motor, he needs faith to come up with the tool. If he already owns the drill, he does not need faith; he just uses it. Jesus said these signs happen in His name, and that name is the tool. Many Christians, he says, assume they must work up faith, because they do not realize they already have the equipment.
He is careful to add that believers are not to tempt the Lord; this is not about handling snakes or drinking poison. But when it happens, God protects. Paul was bitten by a viper coming out of the fire and did not die, and that became a witness that led to the leader of the island and many others being healed (Acts 28:3–9).
Pastor Hohman calls the name of Jesus a power of attorney. If one of the wealthiest men in the world told you to build whatever house you wanted in his name, you would not settle for a small trailer. Yet when God gives believers His name, many say they cannot cast out devils. He once felt that way himself, until revelation of who Jesus really is came and devils ran.
| Situation in his analogy | Do you need faith to get the tool? | What it means for believers |
|---|---|---|
| A task you have done a thousand times | No, you are confident in yourself | Natural confidence is not the same as faith |
| A new task you hope will turn out right | Yes, you are hoping and going ahead | Faith is the substance of things hoped for |
| A job that needs a drill you do not own | Yes, to obtain the equipment | Many Christians act as if they still lack the tool |
| A job when the drill is in your hand | No, you simply use it | The name of Jesus is the tool already given |
Within the name of Jesus, he says, is the fullness of the Godhead, and He has given that name to you. That is why it matters so much that believers really get to know Him and understand who He is.
Jesus Lived Before He Was Conceived
The first truth Pastor Hohman teaches is that Jesus existed before He was conceived in Mary’s womb. He starts in Genesis 1:26: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” The Us is not the angels, he says, because angels cannot create. They are servants, ministering spirits sent to serve the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). The Us is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
John 1:1–5 confirms it. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God; all things were made through Him. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. He reads “comprehend” as take hold of: darkness cannot quench the light. You do not shout at a dark room; you flip a switch.
People without God cannot see these things, because unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The word translated mystery, he explains, does not mean we cannot know. It means you must be inside to know. People drive past a church building and wonder what goes on in there; those who come in find out. In Christ we are made wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
God did not make man because He was lonely, Pastor Hohman says; He made man because He is love. Love needs an object to express itself to, like a boy who suddenly meets a pigtailed, freckle-faced girl and feels something new. God wants His children to know the length, depth, breadth and height of His love (Ephesians 3:17–19), and that fullness is found in Jesus.
In Luke 1:30–33, the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will bear a son and call His name Jesus, and of His kingdom there will be no end. The heavenly Father named the child before Mary was even pregnant. Jesus, he concludes, is far greater than our mental concepts.
Jesus Had No Beginning: Before Abraham Was, I AM
The second truth is that Jesus had no beginning. In John 8:56–59, Jesus tells the religious leaders that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. They answer that He is not yet fifty years old. Jesus replies, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” They picked up stones to throw at Him. As Jesus began to reveal who He really was, Pastor Hohman notes, hatred rose up.
The leaders understood the claim because of Moses. When Moses asked what name he should give the people, God answered, I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3:14). By saying “I AM,” Jesus was saying He is the God who delivered Israel out of Egypt, not merely someone Abraham once saw.
The church then read Hebrews 13:8 aloud together: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is past, present and future. Our minds, he says, are not built to think about eternity past, which is why we need the Bible to reveal it. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus speaks of the glory the Father gave Him because He loved Him before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).
To make the Trinity easier to picture, he uses a building project. The Father is the architect who sees the plan. Jesus is the general contractor who carries it out. The Holy Spirit breathes life into what Jesus accomplishes. That is why the church is a living organism, not just a legal corporation. It began with a handful of people in an upper room and spread over the world.
Through Jesus the ages were brought into being, and He created time, setting the sun, moon and stars for times, days and seasons. His perfection is seen in everything He made, because His invisible attributes, His eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen in creation (Romans 1:20). Anything out of order, he says, came through corruption after Adam fell, and believers speak order back in the name of Jesus.
Jesus the Firstborn Who Manages the Family Affairs
Colossians 1:13–18 calls Jesus the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation and the firstborn from the dead. All things were created through Him and for Him, in Him all things consist, and He is the head of the body, the church. How can He be “firstborn” if He always existed? In the Hebrew family, Pastor Hohman teaches, the firstborn is the one responsible to manage the affairs and business of the family.
Jesus created everything, birthed the church and now manages it. He holds the keys of death, hell and the grave. Pastor Hohman pictures Him saying to believers: I have conquered for you, now use My name. It is not about drumming up faith or worrying that you do not have enough. It only matters what He has.
He illustrates with Elijah. On Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, soaked his altar with water during a drought, and called down fire that consumed the sacrifice, the stones and the water (1 Kings 18:30–39). Then he outran Ahab’s chariot. But when Jezebel threatened his life, he ran and collapsed, exhausted.
God did not scold him. He sent an angel who fed him bread and water twice and strengthened him for the journey (1 Kings 19:4–8). People get tired, Pastor Hohman says, and God understands. A time will come when you do not feel you can go on, and you will still have the name of Jesus. Believers are to be faithful and apply themselves, but He comes and works with them.
Hebrews 1:1–4 adds that God once spoke through the prophets, which is how we received His redemptive names such as Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha and Jehovah Shalom. Now He has spoken by His Son, the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, who made the worlds and has a more excellent name than the angels. Jesus is not an angel, he insists; He is God and eternal, and we must embrace the Son (Psalm 2:12).
Born of Mary, One with the Father
Jesus came forth from the Father and came into the world (John 16:28), and He prayed to be glorified with the glory He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). He laid that glory down and took on the glory of a man. He was born into this world of an earthly mother and a heavenly Father.
In Luke 1:34–38, Mary asks how this can be, since she has not known a man. The angel answers that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Highest will overshadow her. Mary replies, “Let it be to me according to your word.” Pastor Hohman stresses that she did not need some mighty faith. She was a young girl who simply said yes to what God said.
Believers, he says, need to start saying the same about healing, goodness and favor with God and man, and rise up in the power of the name of Jesus.
In John 10:27–30, Jesus says, “I and My Father are one.” One, Pastor Hohman explains, but not the same: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In John 12:42–45, Jesus says whoever sees Him sees the One who sent Him. And in John 14:6–11, He tells Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Our lives, he says, are not a religious order but a family order. You must be born into the family of God, not just placed on a church roster.
He closes with his own story. He gave his life to the Lord at 11 but did not become faithful. Years later the Lord visited him, and when he came home his wife said from a distance that he looked different. His in-laws took him to lunch to ask what had happened. Later his father-in-law, after a heart attack and strokes, could not speak; Pastor Hohman prayed with him, and he reports that his father-in-law gave his life to Jesus and began talking again.
Living It Out This Week
Pastor Hohman ends with an invitation: today is the day, now is the acceptable time (2 Corinthians 6:2), and he urges listeners to present their bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Here are practical steps drawn from this introduction to Jesus:
- Move from saint to faithful. If you belong to Jesus, you are a saint. Choose to stay faithful when problems come, instead of making God like you.
- Use the tool you already have. When you pray for the sick or stand against the enemy, stop trying to work up faith and speak in the name of Jesus.
- Share love instead of winning debates. Tell people what Jesus has done in your life and let love soften their hearts.
- Say yes like Mary. When God makes a promise, answer, “Let it be to me according to your word.”
- Lean on Him when you are worn out. Like Elijah, receive His strength; the Firstborn is managing the family affairs.
- Get to know Him personally. Read the Gospels this week asking who Jesus is, not only what you should do
Timestamped Outline
- 0:00 A new series: what comes to mind when you hear “Jesus”?
- 1:01 Revelation, not an intellectual concept
- 2:06 The testimony of a former Hindu
- 4:11 Why debating about Jesus does not work
- 6:20 Saints and the faithful
- 7:26 Mark 16: signs follow the believing ones
- 8:30 The drill motor: faith versus having the tool
- 12:50 The name of Jesus as power of attorney
- 15:05 Jesus lived before He was conceived
- 16:12 Genesis 1:26: let Us make man
- 17:15 John 1: the Word and the light
- 21:25 God made man because He is love
- 24:30 Gabriel’s announcement to Mary
- 26:37 Before Abraham was, I AM
- 28:50 Eternity past and John 17:24
- 29:54 Architect, contractor and the breath of life
- 35:15 Colossians 1: Jesus the firstborn
- 38:27 Elijah, Mount Carmel and the angel’s bread
- 43:45 Hebrews 1: God has spoken by His Son
- 48:04 Born of an earthly mother and a heavenly Father
- 51:18 I and My Father are one
- 54:23 He who has seen Me has seen the Father
- 55:23 Pastor Hohman’s own turning point
- 59:39 Invitation and prayer of salvation
Jesus Series
This message is the first of six in the Jesus series at NTC Ministries. Continue with the next teaching:
- You are here: Jesus #1 — An Introduction
- Next: Jesus#2 He is The Scriptures
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need great faith to cast out demons or pray for the sick?
Pastor Hohman teaches that you do not need to build up special faith for what Jesus has already authorized. In Mark 16 the signs follow “in My name,” so the name is the equipment. Faith is needed when you lack the tool; once you have it, you use it. He does stress that this applies to believers who have given their lives to Jesus, and that it is never a reason to tempt God.
Why does this sermon say we should not debate people about Jesus?
Because, as he teaches, Jesus is received by revelation through the heart, not by argument. Debate only engages the intellect, and a person with a stronghold in their mind will not be moved by it. What softens a heart is love and a personal testimony of what God has done. That makes a person sensitive to the Lord’s knock, so they can open up to Him in a greater way.
What is the difference between a saint and a faithful believer?
Drawing on Paul’s letter to Ephesus, Pastor Hohman says every person who gives their life to the Lord is a saint, with no organization required to make it official. Faithfulness is a further step. Some believers turn away or grow angry at God when trouble comes. The faithful choose to stay with Him, trusting that He will make them more like Himself.
Scripture References
All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:
- Mark 16:15–18 — signs follow those who believe
- John 1:1–5 — the Word was God
- Genesis 1:26 — let Us make man
- John 8:56–59 — before Abraham was, I AM
- Hebrews 13:8 — the same yesterday, today and forever
- Colossians 1:13–18 — the firstborn over all creation
- Hebrews 1:1–4 — God has spoken by His Son
- Luke 1:34–38 — let it be to me according to your word
- John 14:6–11 — he who has seen Me has seen the Father
How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.
Watch More Messages
If this introduction helped you see Jesus more clearly, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep growing in your knowledge of Him.
