We Are Jesus

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 2nd of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we glimpsed just a few of the many reasons why we need Jesus in our lives.  Today will be a little different.  Today we’ll look at why I can faithfully say that we are Jesus.

Now I don’t mean for that to sound grandiose or that I have some kind of mental condition or delusions of godliness or the like.  I’m not saying that any of us is the one and only Jesus, the one true Son of God.  But in one very real and true sense, we are Jesus, each of us who believe in Him and follow His commands.  And the Bible supports us in that statement.

Let’s look to the man who knew Jesus because of the very special insight that Jesus Himself gave him.  In his letter to the Colossians, chapter 1, verses 21 through 29, the Apostle Paul writes this, as saved in the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you His enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But His Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now He lets you stand in His presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.

24 I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for His body, the church. 25 God’s plan was to make me a servant of His church and to send me to preach His complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. 27 God did this because He wanted you Gentiles to understand His wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and He is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.

28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature. 29 That’s why I work so hard and use the mighty power He gives me.

--Colossians 1:21-29 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we were once far away from You, aimlessly wandering around in our sin.  But You had compassion on us and sent Your Son to lead us in the way of righteousness and to wash away our sin with His blood.  Father, thank You for loving us so much.  Please help us continue to grow in our faith.  Help us to become more and more like Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can better portray Jesus to the world.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, there is a portrait with the following inscription: "James Butler Bonham -- no picture of him exists.  This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle.  It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom."


Family, no actual picture of Jesus exists either.  But the likeness of the Son of God, who died for our freedom from sin, can be seen in the lives of His true followers.  People should be able to see Jesus in us, in our actions, in our daily lives, in our treatment of others.  Is Jesus evident in us?


Paul says we used to be far from God.  What separated us?  What caused that huge chasm between us and God to open and keep us apart?  Our sin, starting with Adam and Eve and continuing through the ages.  Our sin keeps us far from God.

But Jesus bridged that gap for us, by sacrificing Himself, by making of Himself the blood sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of sin.  And now, not only are we able to again be in God’s presence when our time comes, but Jesus also lives in us!

If Jesus truly lives within us, then He should be visible through us.  He should be reflected in our faces, in our actions, in our deeds, in our normal day-to-day routines and interactions with other people.  For family, we are Jesus!

That’s a pretty bold statement, but Paul backs it up.  In his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12 verse 27, Paul tells us…

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

--1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV)

Before He left this earth, Jesus gave us a job.  He left His mission in our hands.  We are to go out and tell other people all about Him, share with them the good news of salvation through Him, show them His love.  We are to be His body on earth, His surrogate in His absence.  We are His arms, His legs, His eyes, His ears, His mouth.  We are Jesus.  We are the only Jesus some people will ever see.  Do we live like it, do we act like it?

The very next verse in that letter says that if one of us suffers, if one of us members of the body of Christ suffers, then all of us suffer.  And if one of us is honored in any way, we all rejoice.  Do we?

When we accepted Jesus as Lord, we died with Him so we could be brought back to life with Him.  By our faith, we live for Him and He lives in us.  In his letter to the Galatians, chapter 2 verse 20, Paul says…

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

--Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

We cannot become the new creation that Paul describes in other scripture unless the old creation first ceases to exist.  The old me must die before the new me can live.

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And it is Christ that people should be able to see in me, not the old person that I was when still far from God.  Otherwise then, as far as I go, Jesus died for nothing.


Now, sometimes it may seem that for us to be Jesus will require a lot of work and sacrifice on our own part.  Paul certainly understood and experienced this personal work and sacrifice aspect.  How many times was he shipwrecked, arrested, beaten, imprisoned?

Yet Paul also fully understood the rewards.  In the 1st chapter, 21st verse of his letter to the Philippians, the good people who helped financially support him while in prison in Rome, Paul says…

21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

--Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

To live is Christ, because Christ lives in us.  We are Christ, we are Jesus.  And when we die, when we leave this life on earth, our gain will be great.  If we live so that other people can see Christ in us, we will share in His glory in heaven.


Family, live in such a way that people can see Jesus through us.  Be that new creation that Christ shed His blood for.  Let the old self be crucified, dead, and buried so that the new can come to life, and live in Christ.

We are Jesus.  Make sure others can see Him.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our only hope.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, once we were far from You, separated by our sin.  But You sent Your Son to atone for our sin by sacrificing Himself as a blood offering on our behalf.  Thank You, Father, for Your love and mercy.  Thank You for giving us a little more insight into Your plan for our salvation.  Please help us to honor the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You gave up Your own life for us, suffered for us, just so we might be spared everlasting torment, eternal separation from our Father God.  And then, once we accepted You as Lord, You chose to live within us.  Help us, please Lord, to better reflect You and Your presence in our lives.  Help us to show You to other people in how we live our daily lives.  And please help us to be You to those who do not know You.  Help us portray You, in our lives, in our love.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.