TOPIC: WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS JESUS?
This is the question people asked about Jesus:
“By what authority, by what means, who accredited Him to do all these miracles?”
These questions define who you are. – your character, your nature, and your Christian life.
When people look at you , they begin to discern your make up. This includes your origin and the source of your power.
Every powerful individual seeks to trace their origin back to God.
Acts 17:28(KJV)28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
If you are not in Him, you have no existence at all – there is nothing of significance to say about you.
1 John 5:12(KJV)12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The evidence of the supernatural is clear in a person who is fully aligned with God.
It’s not just about Jesus; if you come from God, it will be evident in your life.
Every step Jesus took was accompanied by signs and wonders – Matt 8:23-27 “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
That ship, as a believer, represents your life, business, family, ministry – the very condition you are in right now.
Why not wake Him up and see what He will do?
Mark 11:27-28 (NLT)27 Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”
Whenever you are not coming from God and not aligning with Him, you are a nonentity.
Acts 4:7-10 (NLT)7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?
The authenticity of originality is powerful. It settles every matter
Acts 2:22-23 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
This is the conviction we have in Christ – that there is no other name by which we are delivered and set free.
Matt 4:23-23 (NLT) 23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.
This is the operations of ‘by what means’ – Matt 9:2-8 (TLB)2 Soon some men brought him a paralyzed boy on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick boy, “Cheer up, son! For I have forgiven your sins!” 3 “Blasphemy! This man is saying he is God!” exclaimed some of the religious leaders to themselves. 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5-6 I, the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive sins. But talk is cheap-anybody could say that. So I’ll prove it to you by healing this man.” Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, “Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed.” 7 And the boy jumped up and left! 8 A chill of fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. How they praised God for giving such authority to a man!
When you are sure of your means, you are confident. This is what every minister needs.. Matt 11:4-6 4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.'”
Spectacular miracles: He does what no man can do
v The widow of Nain Luke 7:11-16 (NLT)11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.
v With a shout, the dead arose– John 11:43-44 (NLT)43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
