Is Jesus My Pal? Reclaiming Reverence for Christ

Dannah Gresh: Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth asks, have you acknowledged Jesus as rightful ruler of your life?

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: You battle against Jesus as Lord? You will lose. The only way to win is for you to say, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Your Majesty. I bow before You as my King.”

Dannah: This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of Incomparable, for October 12, 2026. I’m Dannah Gresh.

Every year, Ligonier Ministries creates a little something they call the State of Theology report.¹ It’s a nationwide survey revealing how people today view key doctrines of the Christian faith.

And get this: recent data shows that nearly 35 percent of Evangelicals—these are professing Christians—deny the deity of Christ. They’d affirm he was a good teacher, but not God. 

I think a lot of modern teaching has emphasized the human side of Jesus—the way He’s our friend. And don’t get me wrong, Scripture tells us He is the friend of sinners. He is near and relational and loving and kind. But He is also more than a friend. He is Lord. 

Today, Nancy is going to show us from Scripture why this matters . . . and why it’s really, really good news!

Jesus Is More Than a Friend—He Is Lord

Nancy: I came across a book while I was preparing for this session by two co-authors that’s very helpful on this point. It’s called Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. In this book, the authors present evidence for the deity of Christ under five categories that are arranged using the acronym H-A-N-D-S.

Let me just give you an overview, and if you’re interested in knowing more of this, you can go pick up a copy of that book:

H: First of all, Jesus shares the honors due to God. We see in the Scripture that the Son is to be honored, worshiped, and loved just as we honor, worship, and love the Father. He shares the honors due to God.

A: Secondly, He shares the attributes of God. Attributes unique to God—His omnipotence (He’s all powerful), His omnipresence (He is everywhere), His omniscience (He knows everything). These are attributes ascribed to God, but they’re also attributes in the Scripture that are ascribed to Christ. He shares the attributes of God.

N: Jesus shares the names of God. Names that are given to God in the Old Testament you see given to Jesus in the New Testament: Lord, Savior, King, I AM, and many others. He shares the names of God.

D: Jesus shares in the deeds that God does. There are many deeds in Scripture, works that are the exclusive prerogative of God in the Old Testament that are ascribed to Christ in the New Testament.

For example, we read that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. But in Colossians chapter 1 we read that Christ created all things (see v. 16). The same in John chapter 1; He created all things. “Without Him was not anything made that was made” (v. 3). He’s the creator and the sustainer of the universe.

We see Yahweh God exercising sovereign control over the forces of nature, and we see Jesus in a boat on a storm-tossed sea exercising control over the forces of nature.

We see God forgiving sins, and we see Jesus having the power to forgive sins. Jesus shares in the deeds that God does.

S: Number 5, Jesus shares the seat of God’s throne. He exercises authority over all things. He exercises divine judgment. He is exalted above all created things, including angels. We see God seated on the throne exercising authority and judgment, and we see Christ seated on that same throne.

So, some supporting evidence that Scripture presents Christ as of the same essence as God the Father.

I’ve been memorizing and meditating some in the Book of Colossians over the past couple of weeks while I’ve been working on this series. It makes it clear in the book of Colossians that Christ is God. “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” Colossians 1:19 tells us.

Then in Colossians 2, verse 9: “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

Granted, it’s a mystery. Granted, you cannot figure it out with a rationalistic, naturalistic mind. If you don’t believe in the supernatural, you can’t believe in the deity of Christ. That’s why these Jesus Seminar, so-called theologians have set out to disprove the deity of Christ, because they don’t believe in the supernatural. But the fact is, there is reality above and beyond what we can experience with our natural mind and senses, and part of that mystery is that “in Christ the fullness, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

In his classic apologetic book called Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis has a famous challenge to those who say Jesus was a great moral teacher, but they reject His claim to be God. You may have heard this quote before, but I think it’s so good that it warrants reading it again. He says:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

He either knew that what he was saying wasn’t true, in which case he was a liar, or he didn’t know it was true—he was deceived—in which case he was nuts. That’s what C.S. Lewis is saying.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.

See the challenge there? If He’s who He said He is, then He is Lord.

If Jesus Is God, What Difference Does It Make?

Now, most of us affirm intellectually that Jesus is God. So the question I want us to ponder here for a few moments is, "So what?" What are the implications of His deity? If Jesus truly is God, what difference does that make? I’m afraid that many of us as followers of Christ give intellectual assent to things that we don’t ever really change our lives. It’s not enough to know these truths. They’re supposed to radically shape and change our worlds.

So what’s the “So what?” of the deity of Christ? Well, let me mention two or three of them:

If Jesus is God, or should I say, since Jesus is God . . .

First, that means it’s possible for us to know God. We can know Him through Christ, who we’re told in Colossians 1:15: “Christ is the image of the invisible God.” We can’t see God, but Jesus came to this earth, put on a human body so that we could see the image . . . the “spittin' image” as we say . . . of the invisible God.

Nobody in this room has ever seen my father Art DeMoss. He’s been with the Lord now for years, but people who knew him say that when they look at me, they see a female Art DeMoss. (laughter) Big eyes. Now, I’m not the EXACT image of my earthly father, but I look a lot like him.

Jesus is the exact image of God. He doesn’t just look like God; He is God, and He made God known to us. That means God is knowable! You can know Him today because Jesus Christ who came to this earth manifest Him, revealed Him, made Him known to us.

Then here’s another implication: since Jesus is God, He is exalted above all other men, all other rulers, all other religious leaders, and all other so-called gods. He is the incomparable Christ, no one like Him. And as such, He is to be worshiped, revered, honored, exalted.

I think in our generation we’ve done a lot to emphasize the humanity of Christ. He’s a brother; He’s a friend who wants to relate to us intimately. We’re going to talk about the importance of His humanity in the next session, but I’m afraid that some of us have lost a sense of His transcendence, His greatness, His sovereign Lordship. That means that we’re to have an attitude of reverence and awe toward Him

Then, thirdly: since Jesus is God, that says to us that He is exclusively the way to God. If He is not divine, then He is just a man. And if He was just a man, it would be foolish and idolatrous to worship and follow Him. He could not be “the way, the truth, and the life” if He is not God (John 14:6). But if He is divine—and He is—then His claims are all true.

That means that Christianity is not just one of many religious alternatives from which we can choose, as many, many people would have us believe today. “You have your religion. I have my religion. Don’t give me any of this bit about yours being the only true religion.” People will try and intimidate you today, and if they don’t try and do it to you, they’ll try and do it to your kids in college, your young adults. “You believe that’s the only way?”

Christians are getting intimidated today by those who would say, “Yours is just one religious alternative.” No! “There is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved” other than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). There is salvation in none other than Jesus Christ.

Dannah: Amen. The deity of Jesus is such good news for us! It’s the reason we can know God. It’s the reason we can be saved at all. If Jesus isn’t Lord, then we have no hope. But He is Lord. And that means He is worthy of our reverence.

What exactly does reverence look like? Well, if you’ve ever watched the Narnia movies, think about how Aslan’s people approached him—this big, strong, powerful lion. They honored him, bowing humbly in his presence. They recognized that, while Aslan was their friend, he was also their King. The same is true of Jesus. He is our King. Here’s Nancy to tell us more about the special Kingship of Christ. 

A King Unlike Any Earthly King

Nancy: We read in Luke 1 as the angel said to Mary, this Son that you are going to have:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31–33)

The angel was saying, “All these prophecies that were in the Old Testament about this coming King, they’re about to be fulfilled. This child you’re going to have? He is this promised King.”

Now, throughout Jesus earthly life and ministry and even beyond that in the rest of the New Testament, people acknowledged Jesus as King. Matthew 2:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, [now we have some competition] behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?" (vv. 1–2)

Now we have a rivalry. We have Herod who thinks he’s the king of the Jews. But these men see this prophecy. They come and say,

“[There is one] who has been born who is the king of the Jews. For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (v. 2)

Now there you see a set up for what is going to be until the end of this present age a battle between kings of the earth and the Lord Jesus who is the King of kings.

We see others acknowledging Jesus as King. Do you remember in John 1 when Nathanael met Jesus. And Jesus told Nathanael things about himself that nobody else could have known. And Nathanael was amazed and he said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (v. 49).

What was he saying? “You’re the one we’ve been waiting for. You’re the one who was promised. You’re the one that was prophesied about. You are the Messiah, the King of Israel.”

In the Acts 17, as the early church was being founded,

When they could not find these disciples [them], they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men . . . are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, [Caesar thought he was the king] saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (vv. 6–7)

So here again you see the conflict, the tug of war, the battle between earthly kings and rulers and Jesus who claims the right to be the King of kings and in fact is.

Now what’s interesting as you read through the Gospels is how many times Jesus refused the people’s efforts to make Him an earthly king because they had a wrong concept of what kind of king Messiah would be and what His kingdom would be like. So for example, we see in John 6:15:

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 

Have you ever seen anybody like this? The people were clammering, “We want you to be the President. We want you to be the Prime Minister. We want you to be the King.” And he says, “No thank you. This is not an election. This is not a contest. My kingdom isn’t what you think, and I’m not the kind of king you think.” So he withdrew.

In John 18:36 we see this conversation that Jesus has with Pilate. And Jesus says to Pilate,

My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from this world. 

And as the trial of Jesus unfolded, as the passion of Christ unfolded, Jesus was mocked as the King of the Jews. He was rejected as the King of the Jews. Let me read you a few verses from John 19.

The soldiers twisted together a crown [it was a crown of thorns] and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.

Crowns and robes belong to kings, right? Purple is the color of royalty. But they were not sincere at all in crowning Him as king.

They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” [they were mocking Him] and [they] struck him with their hands. . . . Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, [the chief religious leaders said] “We have no king but Caesar.” (vv. 3, 14–15) 

Now keep in mind, the Jews hated Caesar. They hated the Romans. They didn’t want to be ruled by the Romans. They wanted to toss out the Romans rule. They wanted to do away with the Romans. Many of the Jews wanted to kill every Roman if that were possible. But here even the religious leaders, and especially the religious leaders, would rather have had Roman rule, than to accept Jesus as their King. “Crucify Him! He says He’s the king. We don’t want Him to rule over us. You’re not the kind of king we want.”

Well, Pilate probably got it better than the religious leaders though he was confused himself. And he declared Christ’s kingship at the cross. John 19:19, 21–22: 

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” . . . [T]he chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 

Pilate got it right, didn’t he? He is the King of the Jews. There on the cross the King of the Jews, the King of the Universe, the King of kings lay down His life for His subjects.

Now, we know that He didn’t stay on that cross. He came alive. He rose up from the dead. He spent forty days here on this earth, and then He ascended into heaven where God exalted Jesus to His right hand to that place as the King of kings. And we know as we read throughout the New Testament that one day that King will return in all of His splendor and glory to rule over all the nations of the world.

The kind of king the Jews were expecting in the first century, He is that kind of king, but he wasn’t going to come and display His power then in that way. He came first as a suffering King to die as their King. But when He comes back, He will come to fulfill all those Old Testament prophecies about reigning and ruling forever from sea to sea.

So we read in Matthew 25:31:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 

King Jesus Will Triumph Over Every Other King

And then we come to the book of Revelation where you see the final chapter on so much of this story. When you get discouraged, when it seems like the kings of the earth are winning, that they’re having their day, that they are overcoming the saints. Revelation talks about war in heaven and war on earth between the followers of Christ and the followers of the anti-Christ. And when you think the anti-Christ and his force are winning, you need to read to the end of the book and remember what’s coming, what’s happening. Revelation 11:15 tells us:

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, [these are still trumpets of judgment] and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 

Then we come to that chapter, Revelation 19, one of my favorite chapters in all of God’s Word. I love them all, but this is an amazing chapter. I just keep telling myself this story, reminding myself of where this all is heading because we still see people trying to crucify Jesus, don’t we? Rejecting Him as King. We love Him, but most do not love Him.

It’s so disheartening, so discouraging to see the economic and political and educational and entertainment and all the rulers of this earth trying to take Jesus' rightful place as King and Lord in our culture. And we sometimes feel that it seems that they are winning. But not for long!

Revelation 19:11–12, this is a vision of what lies ahead.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! [Not a donkey this time. This time a kingly royal steed, a white horse.] The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. 

No longer crowned with the crown of thorns. Now crowned with the crown that God has given Him as He’s been exalted to the right hand of the Father as the King of kings. On His head are many diadems.

And the armies of heaven, [Kings have armies, right? He’s got all the armies of heaven, the angelic forces] arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

Those who’ve rejected Him, those who’ve pushed Him off the throne, those who’ve said, "There is no king but Caesar." All those kings past, present, and future who have rejected Jesus as Lord, He will rule them with a rod of iron.

He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev. 19:14–16)

And then, that’s not quite the end of the story. There’s still battle. I’ll tell you, Satan and his minions and the rulers of this earth and all of us who in our hearts exalt ourselves to be king of our own lives, there’s that battle going on against Jesus as Lord.

And Revelation 19:19:

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies.

So two kings: One king, the King of kings on a white horse with His army and then all the kings of this earth, those who have titles and those who just think they’re kings, those who just think they’re in charge.

Kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.

And is was no doubt about the outcome. Those kings of the earth think they’re so powerful. All those rulers, all those congressmen, all those criminals, all those entertainers, all those normal everyday average lay people who are just trying to run our own lives, every earthly imposter and one who would want to usurp the role of Christ, there’s no doubt as to what will be the end of that battle.

Revelation 19:19–21:

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet. . . . These two were thrown alive [they’re by the way the ones who lead all these rebellions against Christ as King] into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest [all those other kings, all their other followers, all their armies, all those who rejected Jesus as king, the rest] were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. 

It’s not a pretty picture is it? It’s a picture of havoc and devastation and ruin for those who refuse to repent and bow before Jesus as Lord. And so we see that in the end, King Jesus triumphs. And He will have the final word over all other kings and over all lives and over all affairs of this world.

Will You Bow Before Jesus as Your King?

There’s a battle going on today, isn’t there, and often times a battle going on in our own hearts for who will be on the throne of our own hearts. “Am I going to rule my own life? Or am I going to let Jesus have His rightful place as Lord?” You know what? You can’t engage in that war and win. You battle against Jesus as Lord? You will lose. The only way to win is for you to say, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Your Majesty. I bow before You as my King.”

Now, I think today that we’ve lost the sense of awe about Jesus—the majesty, the power of Jesus as Lord and King. We see Him as a friend, a lover, an encourager. And He is all of those and so much more, but He is also the sovereign King of history and of the universe and of all worlds past, present, and future. He is a King who is to be feared and to be obeyed, and we are His subjects.

Now thankfully, He is a righteous King who is always out for the best interest of those He rules over. So as we bow before Him, we know that we have a secure hope to be part of His eternal Kingdom. Jesus is the King.

He is the King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2). 

He is the King of Israel (John 1:49). 

He is the King of the nations (Rev. 15:3–4). 

He is the King of Heaven (Dan. 4:34, 37). 

He is the King of righteousness (Heb. 7:1–3).

He is the King of peace (Heb. 7:1–3). 

He is the King of glory (Psalm 24:7–8). 

He is the King of the ages (1 Tim. 1:17). 

He is the King of all kings (Rev. 19:16). 

Worship Jesus the King!

Dannah: Oh my friend, He is worthy. What a powerful word from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. We have an incredible Savior, one who ruled and reignd as the sovereign God of the universe and yet still draws near to us as our friend. How could we do anything other than worship? 

Nancy’s new Advent devotional, Consider Jesus, was written to help you worship this Savior and King all throughout the Christmas season. And it’s available for you to order at ReviveOurHearts.com! This would make a lovely gift for a friend or family member, or for yourself, of course! We hope it turns your eyes upon Jesus in reverent wonder all December long. 

And reminder! You can receive a complimentary copy when you make a donation of any amount to Revive Our Hearts this month. Just visit ReviveOurHearts.com or call us at 1-800-569-5959 to give and request Consider Jesus by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

Tomorrow, we’re exploring more of Christ’s divinity together. Nancy’s going to help us marvel at His name, Alpha and Omega. And she’s going to show us just how beautifully the doctrine behind it influences our practical, everyday lives in Christ. Don’t let the word doctrine scare you! It’s going to be a rich, accessible episode that helps us see the beauty of Christ more clearly. I think that, more than anything, it’s going to make you want to worship. On that note, please be back for Revive Our Hearts.

This program is a listener-supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted.

¹https://thestateoftheology.com/data-explorer/2025/7?AGE=30&MF=6®ION=30&DENSITY=62&EDUCATION=62&INCOME=126&MARITAL=126ÐNICITY=62&RELTRAD=2&EVB=6&ATTENDANCE=254

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