Dakota Community Church
November 1, 2009
Christ is Fully Man
Series: Incomparable Christ -2
Partially Adapted from a Sermon by C.H. Spurgeon
From “The First Sermon in the Tabernacle” - Delivered on Monday Afternoon, March 25th, 1861
Acts 5:42
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
They never stopped… proclaiming… that Jesus is the Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:20-24
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1. Christ is fully God.
If we take away the divinity of Christ from the gospel, we are left with no reasonable hope of salvation whatsoever.
John 1:1-3, 14
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 8:31-59
58"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Did anyone here this morning come to us from the Father?
What do you answer when someone asks you how you know there is a God or how you know Jesus is God?
Song: He walks with me, He talks with me… ??????
We know Jesus is God because He became a man, lived a sinless life, provided supernatural proof to eyewitnesses whose testimony is a matter of public record, and He rose from the dead following His death by crucifixion.
The apostles believed Jesus was God:
Titus 2:11-15
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Hebrews 1:1-8
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? 6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God’s angels worship him." 7In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." 8But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
The skeptics and even many who claim membership in the church do not believe him to be God, they do not want him to be God - but God he is; and here, in this house, at Dakota Community Church - we must and will adore him and worship Him as God.
Christ is fully God; beyond that fact however it is vital to fallen humans that:
2. Christ is fully man.
To preach Christ, however, we must also preach his true humanity. We must never make him to be less manlike because he was perfectly divine. He is not 50% God and 50% man. Jesus is 100% God and He is also 100% man.
I think we do not often realize that manhood of Christ; we do not see that he was bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; feeling, thinking, acting, suffering, doing, just like ourselves—one of our fellows, and only above us because he is "exalted with the oil of gladness above his fellows."
We must have a human Christ, and we must have one of real flesh and blood too; not of shadows or filmy fancies. We must have one to whom we can talk, one with whom we can walk, one who is so intimately connected with us in ties of blood, that he is as with us one, the head of the family, first-born among many brethren.
Luke 2:7
…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:40
40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
John 4:6
6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
John 19:28
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
Matthew 4:2
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Luke 2:49-52
49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?" 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Matthew 26:38
38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
John 11:33-35
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35Jesus wept.
Luke 10:21
21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
A sinless man fell; a sinless man had to redeem the fallen - A real man!
Jesus was in every way a human being just as we are, except that He did not sin.
Hebrews 4:13-16
13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
This is significant for us for a number of reasons.
(a) Having been a man, Jesus is sympathetic to our weaknesses.
(b) This changes how we approach the throne of grace.
To be continued next week - Nov. 8, 2009
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
