Curious about Christ Week 1: What Did Christ Think of Himself?

Our church in Naperville, Cross of Christ Fellowship, is hosting a 7 week outreach in Naperville called “Curious about Christ.” This is a course designed to help those who know little or nothing about Christ or Christianity learn about who Christ is and what he has done, and how Christ helps us make sense of life’s most important questions.

Here’s the content from our first week: What Did Christ Think of Himself?

CURIOUS ABOUT CHRIST WEEK 1:
WHAT DID CHRIST TEACH ABOUT HIMSELF

For the first week we are going to consider several texts where we see Jesus speak about himself. The hope is that exploring what Christ taught about himself might better allow us to understand who he is. Just as we desire people to know us for who we are, rather than who they think we might be, so it is best if we seek to understand who Christ is in his own words, rather our perceptions of him. If we want to obtain true knowledge of each other, such knowledge is possible through verbal testimony; as Christians we believe that Christ has given us a TRUE knowledge of himself through statements he has made, statements and truth which have been captured in the Bible.

A Christian believes that the Bible is a historically accurate accounting of Jesus’ life and ministry. Here we find out what he was really like, what he really did, and what he really said. With this in mind, let us consider some of the things Jesus taught about himself.

PRE-STUDY QUESTIONS: How do you think Jesus thought about himself? Do you know any statements in particular that he said which inform you on how we thought of himself?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS WE GO: What do each of these texts teach us about who Jesus thought he was? How might this change how we think about Jesus and God and the world?

12 PASSAGES WHERE JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT HIMSELF

1. TEXT #1: John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #2: Matt 7:24-29 ²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #3: Matt 28:18 ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #4: Matt 9:1-8 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. ² And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic– “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #5: John 8:56-59 ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #6: John 10:30-33 ³⁰ “I and the Father are one.” ³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #7: Matt 11:27 ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
   John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

What do these passages teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #8: Matt 16:24-27 ²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #9 Matt 17:22-23 ²² As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #10: Matt 20:28 ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #11: John 3:15-18 ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him [Jesus] may have eternal life. ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________

1. TEXT #12: John 17:3 ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

What does this passage teach about how Jesus thought about himself?­­­­­­­______________________________