Who is Jesus? Part 3

Who Is Jesus Overview

In this third installment of the “Who Is Jesus” series, the pastor continues a profound doctrinal exploration of the identity and redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. Drawing from foundational passages in John 1, Hebrews 1, Genesis 3, Galatians 3, and Isaiah 53, the message unpacks what it truly means that Jesus is Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things. The sermon begins by revisiting the preexistence of Christ as the Word made flesh, establishing that Jesus created all things and holds the universe together by His powerful word. From there, the teaching moves into the reality of the earth’s curse following Adam’s sin, illustrated vividly through the significance of the crown of thorns placed on Jesus at His crucifixion. Each thorn represents the curse mankind inherited — toil, struggle, and futility — and Jesus bore that curse entirely on our behalf. The pastor also highlights the depth of what Christ surrendered to enter human experience, emphasizing that He never once used His supernatural power for personal comfort. The sermon calls believers to stop striving to work a broken system and instead yield to Jesus as Redeemer, the one who purchased back everything God originally intended for their lives.

Who Is Jesus Outline

• 0:00:00 – Opening Worship and Offering: The service opens with extended congregational worship and the pastor leads the church in giving, referencing 2 Corinthians 9:7 on purposeful, cheerful giving with confidence in God’s provision.
• 0:18:00 – Announcements and Honoring the Pastors: Church announcements are shared, including a vendors expo benefiting the food pantry. A moving moment of honor is given to the senior pastors, citing 1 Timothy 5:17 on double honor for faithful spiritual leaders.
• 0:35:00 – Introduction to the Who Is Jesus Series: The pastor reintroduces the series, clarifying the distinction between ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Christ Jesus’ as directional terms reflecting man’s approach to God and God’s approach to man.
• 0:45:00 – Jesus as Creator of All Things: Using John 1:1-3, Genesis 1:1, and Hebrews 1:2-3 and 1:10, the pastor establishes that Jesus is the architect and general contractor of creation, sustaining all things by His powerful word.
• 0:58:00 – The Curse and the Crown of Thorns: The sermon examines Genesis 3:17-18, connecting the thorns and thistles of the earth curse to the crown of thorns placed on Jesus in Matthew 27:29 and John 19, revealing deep redemptive symbolism.
• 1:08:00 – What Jesus Left to Come to Earth: Drawing from 2 Corinthians 8:9 and Isaiah 53:3, the pastor describes the immensity of what Christ surrendered — eternal glory, comfort, and divine privilege — to live within the cursed human system.
• 1:18:00 – Christ Has Redeemed Us from the Curse: Galatians 3:13-14 and Colossians 1:13-14 are read aloud together, declaring that Christ became a curse for us so that Abraham’s blessing would come upon the Gentiles and we would receive the Spirit through faith.
• 1:27:00 – The Woman at the Well — A Picture of Redemption: The story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well illustrates how Jesus meets the most broken and rejected, offering living water without condemnation, a portrait of His role as Redeemer.
• 1:35:00 – Yielding to Jesus as Redeemer: The pastor closes with a call to stop striving to navigate a broken earthly system and instead yield to Christ, trusting Jeremiah 29:11 — that God’s plans are for hope, peace, and an expected future.

Scripture References

John 1:1, John 1:3, John 1:14, Genesis 1:1, Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 1:10, Psalms 147:4, 2 Corinthians 9:7, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Timothy 5:17, Genesis 3:17-18, Matthew 27:29, John 19:5, Isaiah 53:3, Isaiah 50:6, Galatians 3:13-14, Colossians 1:13-14, Jeremiah 29:11

Key Takeaways

• Jesus is not merely a historical figure — He is the preexistent Word, the Creator of all things, who entered time and humanity to redeem what was lost.
• The crown of thorns placed on Jesus at the crucifixion carries profound redemptive meaning, as thorns symbolize the curse placed on the earth after Adam’s sin in Genesis 3.
• Christ gave up the fullness of eternal glory and comfort to live within the same cursed human system we experience, never once using His supernatural power for His own benefit.
• Galatians 3:13-14 declares that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon all who believe.
• True abundance in life does not come from learning to work the world’s broken system, but from yielding to Jesus as Redeemer and trusting the plans He has written for your life.
• God’s intention has never been for His people to walk in bondage, struggle, and futility — the abundant life Jesus promises is available now through relationship with Him as Savior and Redeemer.
• Knowledge of your redemption is essential — without understanding what Christ has purchased for you, believers will continue striving in an earth-curse system rather than walking in covenant freedom.

Who Is Jesus Notes

Jesus Christ Creator and Sustainer

The sermon grounds itself in a high Christology from the opening, establishing through John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:2-3, and Psalms 147:4 that Jesus is far more than a teacher or moral example. He is the Creator who spoke the universe into existence, handcrafted humanity with personal care, and sustains all things by the word of His power. The pastor draws a meaningful contrast: everything else was spoken into being, but mankind was fashioned by hand — making human beings uniquely valuable in the eyes of the Creator. This foundation sets the stage for understanding why redemption cost so much.

The Deep Symbolism of the Crown of Thorns

One of the most powerful moments in the sermon comes when the pastor connects the thorns of Genesis 3:17-18 to the crown of thorns in Matthew 27:29. When God declared that the ground would produce thorns and thistles as a consequence of Adam’s sin, He was not pronouncing an arbitrary punishment but describing the spiritual and practical reality of a cursed existence. Jesus, in wearing that crown, was not simply enduring humiliation — He was literally taking the curse of human struggle and futility upon His own head. This imagery transforms a brutal moment of mockery into a defining act of redemptive love.

What Redemption Cost the Son of God

The pastor uses 2 Corinthians 8:9 and Isaiah 53:3 to paint a vivid picture of what Jesus voluntarily surrendered to enter human existence. He left eternal glory, unlimited comfort, and the fullness of divine experience to walk in heat, exhaustion, homelessness, and rejection. He was forsaken by family, mocked by religious leaders, betrayed by friends, and ultimately separated from the Father at the cross. Crucially, not once did He use supernatural power for personal relief. This willingness to endure without exception establishes Him as a faithful and compassionate High Priest who understands every dimension of human suffering.

Redemption Declared in Galatians 3

Galatians 3:13-14 and Colossians 1:13-14 form the doctrinal core of this message. The pastor leads the congregation to read these passages aloud, emphasizing that redemption from the curse is not a future hope but a present reality. Christ became a curse so that the blessing of Abraham — wholeness, fruitfulness, and covenant relationship — would come upon Gentiles through faith. Colossians reinforces this by declaring that believers have already been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Knowledge of this truth is what separates striving from resting in Christ’s finished work.

Yielding Over Striving — A Call to Practical Faith

The practical exhortation of the sermon challenges believers to stop trying to master a broken earthly system and instead trust Jesus as Redeemer. The pastor draws on James’s warning about wars and striving that come from desiring what we cannot seem to obtain, and contrasts that with the rest Jesus offers in Matthew 11. Jeremiah 29:11 anchors the closing appeal — God’s plans are for good, for hope, and for an expected future. Yielding to Christ is not passivity; it is the most active and faith-filled decision a person can make, allowing the Redeemer to accomplish what no system or self-effort ever could.

The Woman at the Well as Redemption Portrait

The account of the Samaritan woman in John 4 serves as the sermon’s most relatable illustration. Marginalized by her community because of her history, she came to draw water alone at noon to avoid the social heat of judgment. Yet Jesus met her there — not to condemn, but to offer living water that would end her inner thirst forever. He knew everything about her and loved her still. The pastor uses this encounter to show that redemption is personal, unconditional, and transformative. Her immediate response was to run and tell others, a model of what genuine encounter with the Redeemer produces in a life.

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