Part 1: “Establishing the Identity of Jesus”

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi ; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, ‘ Who do people say that I am ?’ They told Him, saying, ‘ John the Baptist ; and others say Elijah ; but others, one of the prophets.’ And He continued by questioning them… BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM ? Mark 8:27-29 a

WAS JESUS…. 1). A Liar 2). A Lunatic 3). Or LORD? THIS is YOUR case

Everyone must make a decision about who Jesus really is. Once we have made that decision, we are obligated to take that decision and tell others about it.

WHY IS THIS INVESTIGATION SO IMPORTANT? Jesus is the most famous person to have ever lived. –Books –Paintings –Songs –Movies and TV shows –History THERE ARE COUNTLESS OPINIONS OF WHO JESUS IS…BUT IN THIS SERIES WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH

John Douglas John Douglas has an uncanny ability to look into the minds of people he has never met... As the original “psychological profiler” of the FBI, Douglas would gather information at a crime scene and then use his insights to peer inside the personality of the criminal at large. His most famous saying is, “”Behavior reflects personality.”

Establishing the Identity of Jesus Using the same methods as John Douglas, tonight we are going to establish the identity of Jesus Christ by answering the following questions… – What do other religions believe about Jesus? (Witness Testimony). – What did Jesus’ actions and teachings reveal about Himself? (Psychological Profiling) – Did Jesus really believe He was the Son of God? (Establishing Identity)

WITNESS TESTIMONY: WHAT DO OTHER RELIGIONS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT JESUS ?

POP CULTURE VIEW OF JESUS Jesus is written about in many songs that have been sung by Carrie Underwood, U 2, the Killers, even Kanye West. Jesus also appears on tv shows like the Simpsons and South Park Basically, in pop culture, Jesus is simply an icon, or a marketing tool to make money. BUT WHO IS JESUS TO YOU ?

OTHER RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF JESUS The Jehovah ’ s Witnesses consider Jesus to be a very powerful messenger sent from God. The Mormons believe that Jesus is the half - brother of Lucifer, or Satan. They believe that Jesus achieved divinity, but that He is not God. Scientology, the religion of Tom Cruise, believes that Jesus was an implant forced upon a theton about a million years ago.

OTHER RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF JESUS The Jehovah ’ s Witnesses consider Jesus to be a very powerful messenger sent from God. The Mormons believe that Jesus is the half - brother of Lucifer, or Satan. They believe that Jesus achieved divinity, but that He is not God. Scientology, the religion of Tom Cruise, believes that Jesus was an implant forced upon a theton about a million years ago.

OTHER RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF JESUS Buddha says that Jesus is an enlightened man, but He ’ s not God Hinduism says that Jesus is a wise man, but He is not God. Islam says that Jesus is a powerful prophet. He is not God, and He is even inferior to their main prophet, Muhammad.

Psychological Profiling What did Jesus’ actions and teachings reveal about Himself?

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT HIMSELF ?

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven :

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven 2). He said that He performed many miracles

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘ I showed you many good works from the Father, for which of them are you stoning Me ?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘ For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy ; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’” John 10:30-33

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). Jesus said that He came down from heaven 2). Jesus said that He performed many miracles 3). Jesus said He was sinless.

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ Which of you convicts Me of sin ? If I speak the truth why do you not believe Me ?” John 8:46

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). Jesus said that He came down from heaven 2). Jesus said that He performed many miracles 3). Jesus said He was sinless 4). Jesus said He could forgive sin

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ Seeing their faith, He said, ‘ Friend your sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘ Who is this man who speaks blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins, but God alone ?’” Luke 5:20-21

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). Jesus said that He came down from heaven 2). Jesus said that He performed many miracles 3). Jesus said He was sinless. 4). Jesus said He could forgive sin 5). Jesus said that He had all authority

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘ All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you ; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). Jesus said that He came down from heaven 2). Jesus said that He performed many miracles 3). Jesus said He was sinless. 4). Jesus said He could forgive sin 5). Jesus said that He had all authority 6). Jesus said that He was the ONLY way to heaven

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ Jesus said to him, ‘ I am the way, and the truth, and the life ; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” John 14:6

Establishing Identity: Did Jesus really believe He was the Son of God?

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, ‘ Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One ?’ And Jesus said, ‘ I AM ; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 16:61-62

LET THE DEFENDANT TAKE THE STAND 1). He said that He came down from heaven : “ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 6:38 He is saying that He is eternal because heaven is the dwelling place of God. “ I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

From examining the eye-witness testimonies and conducting our own psycological profiling, we have clearly established that Jesus Christ and His followers believe Him to be the Son of God. BUT WHO DO YOU SAY HE IS?