Jesus Christ Alone Is the True God

Introduction

There are days when you look around you and see many honest, sincere people who believe in something, but don't know the true God. In Japan, less than 0.5% of the population is truly walking with Jesus. The rest cling to idols, spirits, their own strength, or some vague "something up there." In this message preached on February 8, 2026 at Agape Church, based on Isaiah 44:6-23, Pastor Rutz reminds you of something the Bible states without hesitation: there is only one true God, Jesus Christ, and he alone is the rock on which you can build your life. Everything else is wood you burn to bake bread.

Outline of the message

1. One true God, one rock

"I am the first and I am the last, besides me there is no god." Isaiah 44 makes things clear right away: the Lord who speaks is the King of Israel, the Redeemer, the Almighty.
God challenges the other gods: "Who is like me? Let him proclaim what is to come." No one. No one created the heavens, the earth, the animals, mankind. No one can announce what will happen.
There is no other God, there is no other rock. It's the same declaration Jesus repeats in Matthew 7:24-27: building your house on the rock means building on his words.
When the storm, illness, or economic crisis hits, only the house built on this rock stands. Everything else collapses.

2. The foolishness of idols

Isaiah mocks the making of idols in very concrete terms: a man cuts down a tree, uses part of it for firewood to warm himself, part of it to bake his bread, and with what's left, carves a god before which he bows down, saying, "Deliver me, for you are my god."
"How can such a thing exist?" A piece of wood that can't walk, that can't see, that can't hear, and people ask it to save them.
Today, the idol just takes a different shape. It's called "myself," "my intelligence," "my own efforts," "my sincerity." It's also called superstition, the eight million kami, the small gods people pray to for road safety or an easy childbirth.
All these idols share one thing in common: they can do nothing for your eternity. They lull your heart to sleep for a while, then leave you alone.

3. There's only the Holy Spirit and evil spirits

Pastor Rutz recounts a conversation with an old friend who believes "a little in all the gods." She tells him, "There are so many, they're all good." The answer is direct: in this world, there are only two spiritual sources, the Holy Spirit who comes from the true God, and evil spirits.
Evil spirits change shape, take on different names, but their source is the same. Believing in one of them means ending up where they are.
These spirits can know your past. That's why some fortune tellers "get it right," they win your trust by revealing what you've been through. Then they plant fear: "If you don't do this, you'll have an accident, an illness, a failure."
The enemy's method is always the same: control through fear. The true God, on the other hand, says, "Fear not." He sets free instead of trapping.

4. Am I truly a Christian? Five markers from the Bible

"Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:38) Denying yourself, taking up your cross, walking behind Jesus: that's the entry point.
"A Jew is one inwardly." (Romans 2:29) God isn't looking for rituals, he's looking for a heart being transformed, day after day, into the likeness of Jesus.
"Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8:5) The real test is the motive behind what you do: giving a gift, cooking for guests, serving in the church, to be admired, or to bless?
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13) The old nature isn't a fixture to leave in place: it's to be put to death every day.
"Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1) True worship isn't just for Sunday: it's also how you live from Monday to Saturday.

5. Guarding against spiritual pride and staying in the church

Pastor Rutz shares the example of a woman who called herself a missionary, who prayed, who read the Bible, but who was inwardly convinced she was "specially chosen," above everyone else. That spiritual pride left the door open to evil spirits, to the point of putting her life in danger.
"Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off." (Romans 11:22) Calling yourself a Christian isn't enough.
"Love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:10) Even a true word, if it isn't spoken in love, becomes a noisy gong.
"Do this, knowing the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep." (Romans 13:11) Christ's return is closer now than the day you believed. This isn't the time to be spiritually asleep.
"Whoever has doubts is condemned... for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23) A conscious, known, repeated sin carries a heavier responsibility before God.
Finally, no Christian is meant to walk alone. The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23). It's together, with each person's gifts, that we stand firm and show the world the wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10; 4:12).

Key takeaways

There is only one true God, Jesus Christ. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God. Everything else is an idol or a deceiving spirit.
Jesus is the rock. Your life only stands in the storm if it's built on him and on putting his words into practice.
Evil spirits control through fear. The true God says, "Fear not." Don't put your trust in any superstition, any oracle, any charm.
Believing isn't waiting until all the evidence is in. It's trusting before you've seen it all, and letting God reveal himself afterward.
Being a Christian isn't just saying "I believe." It's denying yourself, taking up your cross, letting the Spirit change your heart, and living seven days a week as a true worshiper.
No one stands alone. The church is the place where we pray for one another, correct one another in love, and where everyone's gifts build up the body of Christ.

Personal application

What small "gods" (your intelligence, your work, a superstition, a habit) have you quietly placed alongside Jesus, when he asks to be your only Lord?
Is your life really built on the rock, or on your own strength? Where did the last storm (health, money, family) reveal that your foundation was shaking?
Do you let fear (of lacking, of getting sick, of failing) dictate your choices? What would God tell you today, right where you are, if he repeated "fear not" to you?
What's the real motive behind what you're doing this week at home, at work, in the church: pleasing God, or being seen, admired, appreciated?
Is there a sin you clearly know you shouldn't commit, and yet you keep repeating? What concrete decision can you make to bring it to Christ tonight?

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

Why say that Jesus Christ is the only true God? Don't other beliefs have anything good in them?

The Bible doesn't say other beliefs are empty because they're culturally inferior. It says they don't lead to the true God. Isaiah 44 shows a God who speaks, who creates, who announces the future, who saves. No idol, no oracle can do that. Jesus, dead and risen, came to open a unique path to the Father. Recognizing this isn't about looking down on others: it's refusing to mislead them into thinking that every path leads to heaven.

How do I know if I'm truly a Christian, and not just religious?

The pastor suggests looking at yourself in light of several texts: Matthew 10:38, Romans 2:29, Romans 8:5, Romans 12:1, Romans 14:23. Do you deny your "self" to follow Jesus? Is your heart slowly changing to look more like his? Is your motive, in what you do, to please him or to please yourself? Is your whole week an act of worship, not just Sunday? No one is perfect. But a true Christian keeps moving in that direction, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Where and by whom was this sermon preached?

This message was shared at Agape Church, in Japan, on Sunday, February 8, 2026, by Pastor Rutz, based on Isaiah 44:6-23. It's a call addressed first to the people of Israel, then to the church, then to everyone (especially in Japan, where Christians make up less than 0.5% of the population), who has not yet recognized Jesus Christ as the one true God. The sermon closes with a call not to remain alone in the faith and to build together a church that bears witness in the midst of its generation.

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