He Is — Michael Koulianos

Christ’s Passion and the Return to the Bridegroom

Today he who hung the earth upon the waters hangeth on a tree. The king of angels is decked with a crown of thorns. He who wraps the heavens is wrapped in the purple robe of mockery. And he who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped in the face.

The bridegroom of the church is affixed to the cross with nails. The son of the virgin pierced with a spear. We worship your passion, O Christ. Show us also your glorious resurrection. And he who clothes himself with light.

We drifted so far from the gospel. He who clothes himself with light as with the garment stands naked at trial. He is struck on the cheek by hands that he formed. Those that transgressed the law have nailed the Lord of glory to the cross.

And the curtain in the temple torn in two. The sun was darkened, unable to bear the sight of the wrath of God. Before whom all things tremble, let us worship this Jesus. Can I have a tissue, babe? I want the church to come back to the bridegroom.

I don't know what we've been doing all these years. What have we been talking about? What are we doing for the life of me? What have we been doing? He is the lamb and the priest. He's the mediator and the offering.

Christ as Mediator, Offering, and Suffering Savior

Do you hear that? Lamb's... He's the mediator and the offering. There's a man up there. The God man. Mediating the covenant. And he can be known. Deeply known. Sacrifice and offering. You did not desire, but my ears you have opened.

Burnt offering and sin offering you did not require. And then I said, behold, I come. It is in the scroll. Written of me, I did light to do your will. Oh my God, your law is written. Within my heart. Hebrews 10, 5.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire. But a body you have prepared for me. He's the angel of the Lord. He's the cross bearing suffering savior. He's the crucified lamb. Acts 5, 30. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered.

Jesus as Living Water and the Great Evangelist

By hanging him on a tree. He is our drink. Jesus is eternal drink. How can you be in a dry spell if there's a river inside of you? Explain it to me, please. There is a well spring in us. It is a fountain, as Teresa of Avila said, that never moves.

He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. The issue is not the water. The issue is adultery. 24, 7. There is a spring in your belly. Whose rivers make the heart glad.

And everything that river touches, all that is dead, comes to life. He is drink. He's the great apostle. He is heaven's apostle. He is the master builder. He is the mighty prophet. Deuteronomy 18, 15.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, Moses said. From your midst, from your brethren, him you shall hear. This thing is not so much about evangelism. As it is about the great evangelist sitting up within us.

The isms need to become about a person. The how needs to become a who. When the how becomes a who, we begin to abide. And preaching the gospel is no longer a chore. It's a beautiful privilege. Oh, he's the great evangelist.

He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities. Because for this purpose, I have been sent. Jesus is the mighty teacher. This is my beloved son. Hear him. Why is it we know more about portals and principalities than the beatitudes?

Why is it we know more about sowing and reaping than loving your enemy? As Brother Yoon said, he's the teacher. His words, his beatitudes literally are the constitution of our hearts. He's the great shepherd.

Jesus the Great Shepherd and Provider

He is the great pastor. Am I boring you? He's the great shepherd. You read Psalm 23 in the Greek. When it says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. The Septuagint says it like this. The Lord tendeth to me.

There is no lack within him. I want everyone to grab a seat quickly. Grab a seat, please. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. The original language reads it like this. He lays me down on tender, sweet blades of grass.

Tender, virgin shoots of grass. The sweetness of Jesus. This is Jesus the shepherd who protects us, who provides for us, who keeps us. He is the first fruits from the dead. Jesus is victorious. He has plundered death and hell.

Jesus as Risen Lord and Fulfillment of Scripture

He is not average. He is phenomenal. He is no longer in the grave. He is mighty and risen indeed. Risen indeed. He is the first born. The first fruits. He is the well. He is true food. He is the gospel.

He is the good news. He is the point of all scripture. He said you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me. My friend, you can learn chapter and verse.

It is wonderful. But if you miss Jesus, you have missed the point of the scripture. He is scripture's author. Scripture's means. Scripture's end. Scripture's point. Scripture's goal. Scripture's glory.

He is scripture in a body. He is the perfect revelation of the Father. You say show me the Father's love. I point you to Jesus. He is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit and fire. If you lack power, you need to come to Jesus.

He is the purger. He is the one who purifies us. He is the name above every name. People ask me all the time, Michael, what's your favorite name for the Lord? I go, I don't understand the question. My favorite name for God is the Father's favorite name.

Jesus Christ. The Bible says Jesus has the name above every name. He has earned the name. It did not come in a cheap way. But because he died, even the death of the cross, the Father has given him the name above every name.

Of course the church should love the name of Jesus. There's no name like it. It's better than Doug. It's better than Chuck. It's better than John. Come on. What do you mean we're talking about the name of the Lord himself?

Jesus. Name above every name. He is the Father's will. He is the tabernacle. He is the mercy seat. He is our lampstand. He is the light of the world. He is our life in Colossians 3 -4. He is the covenant.

Isaiah 49. I will give thee as a covenant to them. Your covenant is as secure as he is. I hope your heart is being ripped up in a million directions. So all you want to go do is stare at him. To behold the lamb.

Jesus as Jacob’s Ladder and the Almighty

He is Jacob's ladder. I love it when God sends angels to help us. If you've ever been on a foreign mission trip, you realize you like it when he does that. But let me tell you this. You should be more obsessed with Jesus than angels.

There will be no angel shortage in your life if you fall in love with Jacob's ladder. He's Jacob's ladder. They ascend and descend upon him. If you fall in love with him, there will be no shortage of the heavenly hosts.

And as Eric says, he turns heavenly hosts into flames of fire when they're in his presence. He's the mighty one. Revelation 1 -8. Who is and who was and who is to come. The almighty God. He is Alpha and Omega.

Revelation 22. He is our advocate. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ, the righteous one. He is our faith.

Faith is not something. Faith is a substance. It's a substance. Faith is a person. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. The author and perfecter of our faith. Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus as Authority, Warrior, and Head of the Church

He is our authority. Jesus said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. He is the Son of God. This is my beloved Son, Matthew 3. He is the chief cornerstone and the stone that the builders rejected.

Psalm 118. He's the mighty warrior. Oh, wow. He's the mighty warrior. He is faithful and true. Revelation 19 -11. I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true.

He is truth. He is truth. Jesus himself is truth. And with justice he judges and wages war. You say, I don't know that side of him. That side freaks me out. If you've ever been attacked by the devil, you love that side of him.

You discover he doesn't come in to play patty cake. We need the warrior. He is the head of the church. Ephesians 1. I once heard a leader say, he stole my church. I said, that's not your church. It's his church.

He paid for it in blood. They are not our people. You are not ours. You belong to Jesus. He paid the bill with his own blood. As Daniel mentioned, the first night or the second night, that we weren't redeemed with corruptible silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Son of God.

Emmanuel, the Indescribable Gift, and the Lion of Judah

He's the great I Am. Who shall I tell them has sent me? Tell them this, Moses, I Am has sent you. Are you lonely tonight? She will give birth to a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us. God with us.

Jesus is in the room tonight. We could do a lot tonight. We could go for miracles that would be wonderful. We could just do so many things. But I feel this is the pearl of great price being offered to us.

Emmanuel is in the room. When we tell the Lord, when we tell people to trust the Lord, what are we saying? Trust the Lord who is in the room. He is heaven's indescribable gift. 2 Corinthians 9 15. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

Who could be a lamb and a lion at the same time forever? Who could be wounded and raised at the same time forever? Who can be a judge and a redeemer at the same time? He is the Lion of Judah. John wrote, I looked, there was no one found worthy to open the scroll, and I was sorrowing.

And then a voice said to me, Sorrow not. The Lion of Judah has overcome. He is the Messiah. He is the Anointed One. He is the King who is anointed and anoints us with Himself. He is our freedom. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Freedom, Resurrection, and Life in Christ

Friend, if you are here tonight, and you are bound by sin, don't you dare buy the lie that the Christian life is a life of bondage. The Scripture says, Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Jesus will liberate you tonight.

A great man said, If I have to wait until I die to be free, until I die to be free, it means death is my Savior and Jesus is not. He is my hope. He is my peace. Oh, this one. He's risen. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

And He was buried and raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Jesus is alive. He's the precious Savior. For unto you this day in the city of David a Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord.

He is the Son of Man. He is the eternal Creator, Colossians 1. He is resurrection and He is life. That means Jesus doesn't just raise us. He raises us and sustains us. First, He raises you and is the life within you to keep you alive.

Jesus as the Door, the Way, the Vine, and the Word

If He were merely resurrection, Lazarus would have sat up and died a second later. But Jesus comes and raises us as resurrection and keeps us as life. He is the door. Stop looking for open doors and closed doors and barrel through the door with first love.

This door is a person. He is the way. He is the true vine. He is the Word. He is victorious. Oh, Jesus. Close your eyes and receive this. He is wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.