Jesus, The Son Of God

Jesus, The Son of God

Introduction

A drunk man who smelled like beer sat down on a subway seat next to a priest.

The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket.

He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked,

“Say, Father, what causes arthritis?”

“My Son, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man.”

"Well, I’ll be!" the drunk muttered, returning to his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized.

"I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?"

"I don’t have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does."

Just like this priest, too often we can make assumptions about people that can be completely wrong.

What is worse though, is that too often we can make assumptions about God that can be completely wrong.

• Many are making false assumptions today about Jesus

• They will say he was a good teacher, a historical figure, an important person in history

Out in society today, especially with the high readership of the Book “DaVinci Code”, people are making false assumptions about Jesus

We have been doing a series on Jesus and today we want to look at the topic – Jesus, the Son of God

Jesus is more than a good teacher or a moral person or a great prophet. Jesus claimed to be God and is God

• You can’t ignore that.

• You can’t dance around that.

• You have to deal with that.

Let’s look at why you can’t ignore, disregard or minimize Jesus being the Son of God.

1. Jesus claimed it

Let’s just look at His words and let them speak for themselves.

1. “And they all said, “Are You the Son of God then?” and He said to them “Yes, I am” (Luke 22:70)

This is the reason they crucified Jesus – His claim to be the Son of God. They couldn’t find anything else that He did wrong.

2. “Truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)

3. “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

The Jews knew what he was saying – vs. 33 they were going to stone Him and the reason they gave was: “for blasphemy; and because You being a man make Yourself out to be God.”

Think of these statements, of their power.

Think of someone making these statements.

Jesus is not claiming to be divine or one of the “gods” as Roman emperors did.

He is claiming to be God himself

Not a good teacher, not showing us a way, but boldly saying “I am God”

You can’t skirt around Jesus making these claims. They were boldly made.

If you think those claims are false, then you are left with:

• either he made a deliberate misrepresentation and is a deceiver or and foolish for giving his life for a lie.

• Or worse – he didn’t know those claims were false so he was deluded and a mental case

If they are true – then you have to some to Him as Lord. There is no ignoring that Jesus claimed to be God

C.S. Lewis said,

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would the Devil of Hell. . . let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He did not leave that option open to us. He did not intend to.”

Michael Green, in his book "Man Alive" says,

“Jesus made the most shattering claims in the course of His teaching. There is no parallel to them in any of the world’s religions. And it simply will not do to neglect them, as is commonly done by agnostic writers. Yet, if you account them as part of the authentic record about Jesus that has come down to us, then at once, the cozy picture of Jesus as merely a good man and a great teacher disintegrates.”

Not only did He claim it, others at his time did as well.

2. His Contemporaries Claimed It

Peter -- “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matt 16:16

Thomas -- “My Lord and my God” John 20:20

John - “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John 1:1