Jesus Was-Jesus Is

Here is a bit of an excerpt from one of Jacob's recent sermons on John 1:29-34

Herein lies our great hope and the great reality that is. While Jesus earthly life and ministry occurred in a certain space and time, his ascended reign does not restrict itself to space or time. It is not enough to simply say Jesus Was God, Jesus Was man. If Jesus only existed or only reigned in the past, then what hope do we have here today? We would have none! If the perfect Godman was only in the past then we have no hope!
How happy, joyful, and content we can be to rest in the knowledge that God the father did not leave us to the depths of our own despair! God in his abundant mercy did not leave us drowning in our own pool of sin. He provided for his people by sending his Son to live, die, rise again, and reign forever! It is not enough to simply say with the past tense:
Jesus Lived
Jesus Died
Jesus Arose
Jesus Reigned
We can Rightly say Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus arose. Past tense is the appropriate tense to describe all those events. But if we end with the past tense we reject God's own testimony that Jesus is his Son and as such he Lives forever. It is not enough to say Jesus Was, any unbeliever may accept that Jesus was. It is quite another thing to say that Jesus IS. Jesus IS the Son of God, he IS the promised one of Israel who was revealed to John the baptist so that Jesus might be revealed to his people. Jesus lives, and reigns, and IS forever.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
The apostle is not speaking exclusively about the past, nor is he exclusively speaking about the present, nor is he exclusively speaking about the future. The Apostle in these words is echoing what John the baptist said concerning Jesus of Nazareth “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God”. This is
it! This Jesus is he who for so many generations the Jewish people were waiting for! This is he who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!