31 Jan Who is Jesus? – 1/30/2021

“Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” and “What does his identity mean to you?”

These questions are the main focus of our Gospel Reading for today.  To fully understand who Jesus is we must go back about 4000 years.  Moses and the Israelites had just left Egypt and were at the foot of Mount Horeb.  In our Old Testament Lesson, we heard: “The Lord your God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. This is what you asked the Lord your God to give you on the day of the assembly at Mount Horeb. You said, “We never want to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this raging fire again. If we do, we’ll die!”

And so, God continued to direct His people through prophets – like Moses.  Moses and all his successors – the prophets that followed – were not to be the ultimate fulfillment of the prophetic ministry.  They were only forerunners of the coming Prophet that God would send – Jesus Christ.

“Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?” And “What does his identity mean to me?” First, if Jesus is your Lord – you need never fear – God Himself in the form of the Son walks with you. He comes to forgive and empower our lives through his Word and Sacraments. And, secondly, if Jesus is your Lord then you need never fear either things on earth or things in the spiritual world. God is your God and your future victory as one of his children is guaranteed.

Pastor Gary