Intro:
1. Every year, thousands upon thousands of wildebeests run a sort of marathon. The African savannah dries up for weeks. Then, rains come to the north.
Small herds of wildebeests join other herds of the hog-like creatures as they run for days. Covering many miles at a thundering speed, the larger herds grows to an unbelievable two million.
Driven by instinct, the wildebeest perform their yearly ritual, running at full speed. Then, all at once, they come to an orchestrated stop. There, at the edge of a particular river, they sense danger in the air. Baboons in the trees overhead watch with great anticipation, knowing what is going to happen next.
A few wildebeests venture to the edge of the river. The water is so inviting after the dry season and after their long, long journey. Oh, to take from the cool water. The feeling of danger is intense, but so is their desire for the refreshing water.
The few wildebeests that ignore their feelings of danger and begin to drink are at once taken in by the cool refreshing river water.
Then, in one swift action, large hungry crocodiles emerge from beneath the river. They grab their victims in their powerful jaws and yank them into the water. The wildebeests are torn limb from limb! What had briefly seemed a refreshing source of life-giving water quickly turned into a deceptive death-trap.
2. We must Defend the Word of God, because if we depart from the Scriptures, we will be be taken in by the tricks of false teachers. We must test all teaching and preaching by the Word of God!
3. Defending the Word of God - part 2
Trans: Jude 4
I. Descriptive Greeting. 1-2
II. Defending Word of God. 3-4
A. First, his Desired Intention.
B. Furthermore, the Divine Intervention.
C. Next, the Directions of clear Instruction.
D.Finally, they needed to defend the Word because of a Definite
Invasion.
1. They are Deceptive People.
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed - 4a
a. The Men - certain persons. These are false teachers.
No doubt there was a leader among them - false teachers always have a ring leader. A classic example of such false teaching in our day is Scientology, and they have a promoter as well.
In 1954, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard founded the religion Scientology. It is a religion without a God. It teaches inter-galactic travel, reincarnation, and mind control among other strange ideas the science fiction writer taught. When Hubbard died in 1986, he told his believers he would make himself visible within 13 years of his death at a California desert mansion.
One of the most powerful leaders of Scientology who emerged after Hubbard's death was David Miscavige. Miscavige recruited actor Tom Cruise into the cult and through the years immersed Cruise into the strange teachings.
The religion has grown to more than 10 million world-wide, enlisting other celebrities such as John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman and Chick Correa.
But it is Cruise who has had the greatest impact in recruiting others.
"Across 90 nations, 5,000 people hear his word of Scientology—every hour," International Scientology News proclaimed last year. "Every minute of every hour someone reaches for L. Ron Hubbard technology... simply because they know Tom Cruise is a Scientologist."
b. Their Manner - have crept in unnoticed.
"For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a side door]..." Jude 1:4 (AMP)
"I say this because some godless teachers have wormed their way in among you..." Jude 1:4 (TLB)
"What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks..." Jude 1:4 (MSG)
"In classical Greek literature, the word referred to slipping poison into someone's glass. [Liddell and Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon]. As poison dropped furtively into a silver chalice, these men surreptitiously penetrated the church. And their effect was lethal, striking at the very core of Christian truth." [Swindoll]
While the cults always have a main leader, they do not do most of the dirty work. It is their followers who are trained to infiltrate churches. Of course they are not limited to the local church. "In today's church, such apostasy takes many forms. False teachers write books and edit publications, speak on radio and television, teach in colleges and seminaries, preach from pulpits, and have Web sites on the Internet."
""Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28 (NASB)
"But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage." Galatians 2:4 (NASB)
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." 2 Peter 2:1 (NASB)
"The phrase crept in unawares means to "settle in alongside... to enter secretly, slip in stealthily." These apostates secretly slip in and settle down in the Church with their wicked intentions known only to themselves. They come to Church, sit in the worship services and Sunday-school classes, attend the Church fellowships, etc. They are part of the everyday life of the Church except for one important thing—they are imposters. They are not present for the good of the Church, but for the destruction of it. An apostate is a sneaky crook who has no honor. Just like a robber will not call you up and confess that he is going to rob your house at such and such a time, an apostate will not announce his evil reason for being present in the congregation. Oh no! He is much too smart for that. His intention is to go as long as possible unnoticed while all along doing his wicked work. There are almost always tares among the wheat. Someone has well said, "Wherever God sets up a house of prayer, the devil always builds a chapel" [Expository Pulpit Series]
False teachers are not what they appear to be! They often look good but they are sheep in wolves clothing.
Reminds me of A MAN driving down a dirt road when he noticed an unusual pig. The pig had a little limp when he walked. When he got a little closer, he noticed the pig had an artificial leg.
He had never seen anything like that, so he pulled in the drive to ask the pig farmer about it. He said to the farmer, "I have never, ever seen an artificial limb on an animal in general, and especially on a pig."
"Well," said the farmer, "let me tell you about that pig. One day, my little granddaughter was walking out in front of the tractor. The tractor was going to mow her down, but the pig jumped in and knocked her out of the way.
On another occasion, my grandson was drowning, and the pig jumped into the water and saved him... I just didn't have the heart to eat the pig all at once."
The false teacher is like that - they often come across as kind and loving but they are not!
Trans:We must Defend the Word of God because of Deceptive false teacher that seek to distort and destroy sound doctrine.
In the mid-1950's there was a popular American television program called "To Tell the Truth." Three guests on the show would claim to be the same person. Four panelists would then ask the guests questions to determine who was telling the truth.
After a set time was up, each panelist voted for his or her choice as to who was telling the truth. Then the host of the show asked, "Will the real...[John Doe or whoever] please stand up?"
In many ways, this game is being played out in churches throughout the world. People are presenting themselves or claiming to be godly. Is there a sure way to know who is telling the truth? You bet! God's written Word.
2. Their Damnation is Predicted.
those wo were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation - Their condemnation predicted long ago in the Old Testament.
Phillips, "The word for "before ordained" means literally "to write before." In other words, the judgment that awaits the apostates has been stated of old. Jude's whole thesis, with his many appeals to the Old Testament, substantiates that position. One translator suggests the rendering "who have been written up beforehand," referring to the ancient custom of posting ahead of time the names of defendants who are scheduled to appear before the court for trial. The term of old is not applied here to God's eternal purposes. It points to prophecies given of old."
"19 When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness." Isaiah 8:19-22 (NASB)
"13 "The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!" 14 Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, "Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire And this people wood, and it will consume them. Jeremiah 5:13-14 (NASB)
And New Testament predicts their terrifying end!
"5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved." 2 Thessalonians 2:5-10 (NASB)
"1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB)
Perhaps you've seen the movie the Green Mile, those on death row walk the green mile to face sure death in the electric chair. As they walk the repeated phrase "dead man walking" can be heard. These false teachers are dead men walking!
Trans:The truth is there is only one way to meet this Deception and that is with true Doctrine.
"With the wave of false prophets and false teachings that are rising in our time, it's important that we know and understand the truth of Scripture. With the ever increasing number false teachings, we should be studying the Word so that we can remain firmly planted and keep from being swayed.
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (KJV)." We are also told to "give attention to reading, to exhortation, [and] to doctrine" in 1 Timothy 4:13. Not only that, but we are even warned in Jude 3-4 that we need to "contend earnestly for the faith" because of these false teachers creeping in; in other words, we are commanded to fight for the truth of Scripture, which can only be done by being prepared and studying the Word.
It's important to understand that the only way we're going to be able to know the truth of Scripture is to be engulfed in the studying of it. There's no way in the world that we, as Christians, are going to be able to testify against false teachings unless we know the Word for ourselves and know how to interpret it. At the same time, we should be able to follow up in the Scriptures after hearing our pastor preach in order to make sure that everything they have said lines up with what is written (Acts 17:11).
There is no reason that today's Christians should be lemmings who mindlessly follow after anything that sounds good; we should all be well versed in the biblical texts and know how to exegete (interpret) Scripture.
We have to be wary of having itching ears and allowing ourselves to fall prey to false teaching just because it sounds good or makes us feel better about ourselves, like many today are doing (2 Timothy 4:3).
Just so we're on the same page, this does not mean that you have to go to seminary or Bible college; it simply means learning how to study the Word of God and how to use a Bible dictionary and commentary so that you can correctly interpret the texts." [Read.Pray.Worship.Live.: Teaching the Fundamentals]
3. Their Doctrine is Perverted.
a. They are Destitute of a reverence for God.
ungodly persons - "These men are called ungodly. The word is asebēs, "destitute of reverential awe toward God, impious." [Wuest's Word Studies]
Vines, "Original Word: ἀσέβεια, asebeia [as-eb-ace]
Usage Notes: "impiety, ungodliness," is used of (a) general impiety, Rom. 1:18; Rom. 11:26; 2 Tim. 2:16; Titus 2:12; (b) "ungodly" deeds, Jude 1:15, "to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Jude 1:15 (NASB) (c) of lusts or desires after evil things, Jude 1:18, "that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." Jude 1:18 (NASB) It is the opposite of eusebeia, "godliness."
Note: Anomia is disregard for, or defiance of, God's laws; asebeia is the same attitude towards God's Person...Adjective...Usage Notes: "impious, ungodly" (akin to A), "without reverence for God," not merely irreligious, but acting in contravention of God's demands:
"8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers" 1 Timothy 1:8-9 (NASB)
"15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." 16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage." Jude 1:15-16 (NASB)
[Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words]
"For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons..." Jude 1:4 (AMP)
"...They have no real reverence for God..." Jude 1:3 (Phillips NT)
"This word has the same meaning in every place where it is used. The prefix "un" means to be without. Joined to the word "godly," it means that the person, the nation or the subject under consideration is without God. The ungodly person may be beautiful in character, attractive in manner, cultivated, refined and educated, but he is living without God. He has no faith in God, and may be rebellious toward God. He may be quite religious in his outward actions, and yet have no knowledge personally of Jesus Christ. Such a person is un-godly." A Dictionary of Bible Types.
b. They Distort Grace.
who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness - Thats li-cen-tious-ness! ἀσέλγεια [ah-sell-gay-ah]. CBL, "In the New Testament aselgeia is joined with the most heinous of sins such as covetousness, adultery, lewdness, and drunkenness. Barclay characterizes aselgeia as “shameless greediness,” “bestial pleasure,” and “pure self-enjoyment,” and he says that it is “in many ways the ugliest word in the list of New Testament sins” (New Testament Words, pp.60,61). (See Mark 7:22; Romans 13:13; 2 Peter 2:2,7,18.)
Basil characterizes this sin as a “condition of the soul which does not know and cannot endure the torment which discipline makes for it” (as quoted by Barclay, p.60). Lightfoot says that “a man can be unclean, and hide his sin; he does not become aselgēs until he shocks public decency” (Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, p.210).
This touches the very essence of sin. Josephus combined aselgeia with mania, “madness.” He said that aselgeia was the sin of Jezebel (Antiquities 8.13.1). Those under the control of this sin do not care what others say or think, as long as they can satisfy their desires. Conscience is strangled and shame is “put to flight” in the heart of the one who commits aselgeia. It is said that the inhabitants of Sodom spoke openly of their sin (Isaiah 3:9). Thus aselgeia denotes open licentiousness and shameless sin."
"(especially of a person or their behaviour) sexual in an uncontrolled and socially unacceptable way" [Cambridge Dictionary]
It is a total lack of moral restraint! A lack of control.
"Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy." Romans 13:13 (NASB)
"and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness." Ephesians 4:19 (NASB)
Reminds me of the "The rock festival" that was held in the heartland of Midwest America, Labor Day weekend, 1970. Between 20,000 and 25,000 came to a wheat field near Pittsburg, Kansas.
They came in a state of unconventional dress and birthday clothes to attend what was billed as a rock musical festival but it turned out to be a wild orgy of promiscuous sex and narcotics. They were not a bunch of innocent youth, but rather the worst elements of society.
Among them were hard-core revolutionaries. The American flag was desecrated. They waded and wallowed in filth. The sale and use of narcotics were wide open. It was the biggest pot party and sex orgy the Midwest has ever seen.
There was display of nudity, and there were mixed nude swimming parties in a nearby creek. With no sanitation facilities and failure to comply with health regulations, one can imagine what the place was like.
The former Kansas Governor and Presidential candidate, Alf Landon said: "They call these things festivals, but I have another name for them—'feasts of hell.'
"No matter what the false teaching is, it will enslave. The false teacher who denies Christ and God's Word removes the supreme authority over man's life. Therefore, man is basically free to live in selfishness and greed, desire and lust. He is left to seek as much pleasure and as many possessions as he desires upon earth. But in the end, man discovers something. The more he gets, the more he wants. It may be comfort, money, sex, position, or authority; it does not matter. Man's nature is such that he wants more and more. Man must be restrained by an authority above himself, that is, by God and by God's Word. If he is not, then he becomes enslaved to his passions and to the corruption of the world. This is one of the terrible fallacies of all false teachings. They all enslave man to this world: not a single false teaching can usher a man through the door of death into eternal life. Only Jesus Christ can do that. Note the clear truth: whatever overcomes a man, that very thing enslaves him." [Practical Word Studies in The New Testament]
Apparently all this is done under the guise of God's grace! But grace never encourages anyone to sin!
"1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2 (NASB)
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13 (NASB)
"11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age," Titus 2:11-12 (NASB)
D. A. Carson, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, used to meet with a young man from French West Africa for the purpose of practicing their German. He writes:
"Once a week or so, we had had enough, so we went out for a meal together and retreated to French, a language we both knew well. In the course of those meals we got to know each other. I learned that his wife was in London, training to be a medical doctor. He was an engineer who needed fluency in German in order to pursue doctoral studies in engineering in Germany.
I soon discovered that once or twice a week he disappeared into the red-light district of town. Obviously he went to pay his money and have his woman.
Eventually I got to know him well enough that I asked him what he would do if he discovered that his wife was doing something similar in London.
"Oh," he said, "I'd kill her."
"That's a bit of a double standard, isn't it?" I asked.
"You don't understand. Where I come from in Africa, the husband has the right to sleep with many women, but if a wife is unfaithful to her husband she must be killed."
"But you told me you were raised in a mission school. You know that the God of the Bible does not have double standards like that."
He gave me a bright smile and replied, "Ah, le bon Dieu, il doit nous pardonner; c'est son metier [Ah, God is good. He's bound to forgive us; that's his job]."
That's what I call an abuse of of grace!
c. They Deny the Son of God.
and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ - there is a variant. The NKJ has it "the only Lord God" while NASB, "only Master and Lord."
"The Textus Receptus ["The name given to the edition of the Greek New Testament published by Erasmus in the first part of the sixteenth century and essentially reproduced by a number of others on the European continent, including Stephanus, Théodore de Bèza and Abraham Elzevirs. An edition printed by this last individual, in 1633, included a remark in the preface about this form of the text being “commonly received”—and the name stuck (i.e., the Received Text). Prior to this, in 1611, the translators of the King James Version relied heavily on this form of the text. The term is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for the Byzantine text form that stands behind the Textus Receptus. Commonly confused with the Majority Text."
Pocket Dictionary for the Study of New Testament Greek] here adds one word, "God," which disrupts the flow and the introduction of a second person into the text, "the Lord God," who is then differentiated from the Lord Jesus Christ. Most feel that "Lord God" would refer to the Father.
However, the modern texts contain a very clear testimony to the deity of Christ, for the term translated "Master" by the NASB is also translated "Sovereign" in the NIV in the same passage. This is a very strong Greek term; in fact, we derive our English word despot from it. It can be used of human masters but it also used of God as Master. Note Acts 4:24 (NIV):
"When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them." Acts 4:24 (NIV)
Jude tells us there is only one "Sovereign Lord," Jesus Christ. I have often pointed this passage out to Jehovah's Witnesses and asked, "Now can you say with Jude that you have only one Sovereign Lord? Or do you have two, Jehovah and Jesus Christ?" The point is rarely missed. But the KJV's rendering obsures this by following inferior manuscripts:
The term God is not found in the paprus manuscripts P72,78, Codex Sinaiticus, A, B, as well as numerous other texts and translations.
Resulting in a reading that allows one to distinguish between the "Lord God" and "the Lord Jesus Christ."
[The King James Only controversy, James R. White]
The Da Vinci Code is one modern example of this, here is a length quote worth quoting:
"The line between entertainment and education is slim these days. The Da Vinci Code is fictional entertainment that is subtly educating people today to deny the divinity of Christ and to call into question the entire Christian faith.
Thus far, about 60.5 million copies of the book are in print, rendering it read by one hundred million people, according to an ABC report. Large percentages of people in Europe, America, and Canada are putting faith in the stories. Movie gross sales are over two hundred fifty million dollars.
Dan Brown's book is based on a book written in 1982 titled The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. Some Christians say it's no big deal; it's just a novel. But it is a big deal when people confuse fiction with fact and lose their faith. We are told to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). To this end I deliver this message on The Da Vinci Code deception for a renewal of faith.
The story line goes like this: Jesus was human, not divine. He was married to Mary Magdalene, who was pregnant at the Crucifixion. Jesus intended for her to lead the church, but the male-dominated apostolic band wanted Peter to lead. So Mary fled under protection to France and gave birth to their daughter, Sarah, after Jesus' death.
The royal line of Jesus still exists in France and is protected by a sacred order called the Priory of Sion, whose military arm was the Knights Templar. Mary Magdalene is the actual Holy Grail at the Last Supper, not a chalice used in the Passover, and her remains are in a sarcophagus hidden in France.
A sect of the Catholic Church called Opus Dei has sought for centuries to destroy the heirs of Christ. All of this was done to subjugate women to a place of submission and to further the political power of the church. Opus Dei will do anything necessary to keep a lid on the secret of Jesus and Mary.
Leonard Da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and other influential persons were members of the Priory of Sion. Da Vinci hid the secret in The Last Supper. Supposedly, John to the right of Jesus is not John at all but Mary Magdalene. (In reality, however, the drawings on Da Vinci's sketches of the fresco have the names of the disciples written underneath the figures clearly showing John, not Mary, at Jesus' side.)
The real story of Mary was concealed in hidden codes and symbols. The remains of Mary Magdalene are revealed as being located under the floor of the Louvre in Paris.
In the movie, Sir Leigh Teabing, a secret member of Opus Dei, says to Dr. Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks), a symbologist from Harvard, "If it were proved that Jesus was not divine, but merely a man, it would shake the very foundations of Christianity." This statement is true. Seventy-eight percent of Americans confess to be Christians ("Mixing Fun and Faith," Reader's Digest, June, 2006, 32). Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with over one-third of the world's population claiming to be Christian. That's a whole lot of shakin' going on if The Da Vinci Code is true and Jesus is not divine!
The foundation of our faith is the divinity of Christ. Who is Jesus? This is the question many religions struggle with. Judaism recognizes Jesus as a prophet, but not as the Son of God. Islam derives its information on Jesus from the New Testament, although it changes it by presenting Him only as a prophet. It claims that Jesus did not die but a substitute took His place because God would never allow His prophet to be crucified. They believe God took Him to heaven and will send Him back in the last days to judge the world—a legend also found in the Gnostic Gospels.
As Jesus approached the Cross, He wanted to make sure the disciples really knew Him. So He asked them, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (Matt. 16:13). After they gave Him several answers, He asked the most important question He ever asked: "Who do you say I am?" (v. 15). Peter replied on behalf of them all: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16). Jesus then replied, "On this rock I will build my church" (v. 18). The "rock" was not Peter but the revelation of who Jesus is. Remember these hymn lyrics: "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; / All other ground is sinking sand."
The Da Vinci Code states that the early disciples did not believe in the divinity of Jesus and that the concept of Jesus' full divinity was invented by the Roman emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. The council convened under the leadership of Constantine in an effort to unify the church on this issue. Division in the church, he thought, could split his empire. Arius taught that Jesus was not fully God because He had a beginning in God and, therefore, was not eternal. His movement was called Arianism. After Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, presented Arius' position, it was overwhelmingly rejected by the council. The book claims that it was a narrow vote, when actually only two of the three-hundred-plus bishops present refused to sign the Nicene Creed. The first Nicene Creed stated that Christ is "true God of true God."
The Da Vinci Code suggests that Constantine only chose the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John because they fit his agenda of male power. Actually, Justin Martyr, who was martyred in AD 165, argued for only four gospels. The claim that eighty other gospels were rejected by the council because they taught that Jesus wanted Mary Magdalene to be the leader of the church is false. The council never considered the issue of the canon of New Testament books.
The Da Vinci Code also states that ancient Israel worshiped both the male Jehovah and the female counterpart, the Shekinah, and that centuries later the church suppressed goddess worship and eliminated the divine feminine. This, of course, is bogus.
People might ask, "What difference does it make if Jesus is divine or not? He was a good man who made the world a better place and gave us the greatest teachings on love." It makes all the difference. If Jesus is not divine, then He is just like us, He cannot save us, His death has no redemptive power, and He has not been raised from the dead. "And if Christ has not been raised," Paul tells us clearly, "our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.... If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Cor. 15:14-20, emphasis added).
The key is the New Testament; these books are the works of the eyewitnesses of Jesus. Every New Testament book states clearly the divinity of Jesus as the Son of God, sinless, who came to redeem us from the law of sin and death. In the Gospels Jesus is called "the Son of God" forty-nine times, "the only begotten Son" five times, "my Son" ten times, "the Son" thirty-four times, "his Son" twenty-four times, and "the Son of Man" (a messianic title) eighty-six times.
What did the prophets say about the Messiah? They revealed His lordship, oneness with the Father, and eternalness (Ps. 110:1; Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Mic. 5:2).
What did Jesus say about Himself? Jesus was controversial because He made Himself equal with God. In John 10:33 we find evidence that Jesus claimed to be God, and in verse 36 He said, "I am God's Son." To the disciples He said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (14:9).
When Buddha was teaching on enlightenment, people asked him what he was, not who he was: "Are you a god?... An angel?... A saint?" Buddah replied, "No." Then people asked, "Then what are you?" Buddha answered, "I am awake." This is a famous anecdotal story in Buddhism. But the question to Jesus is not "What are you?" but "Who are you?"
During the Passion Week we read: While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions (Matt. 22:41-46).
What did God say about Jesus? The voice of God came from heaven at Jesus' baptism: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (3:17). Again, at the Mount of Transfiguration, God spoke to Peter, James, and John: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (17:5).
What did the angels say about Jesus? Before Jesus' birth an angel spoke with Mary: "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.... His kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:30-35).
To the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem, an angel said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (2:10-11).
What did the demons say about Jesus? Mark's Gospel tells of Jesus being thronged by crowds wanting to be healed: "Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, 'You are the Son of God'" (3:11). When Jesus met the demoniac of Gadara and rebuked the demons in him, the man fell on his knees and shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" (5:7).
What did the disciples say about Jesus? When Jesus asked Martha of Bethany if she believed that He was the resurrection and the life, she replied, "Yes, Lord... I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (John 11:27).
And what of Mary Magdalene? She was the first one to see Jesus in the garden of the empty tomb, along with the "the other Mary" (the wife of Clopas; Matt. 27:56; John 19:25): "They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him" (Matt. 28:9). Jesus said to her, "'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: 'I have seen the Lord!' And she told them that he had said these things to her" (John 20:17-18).
When Thomas met the risen Lord, Jesus told him to put his hand in the scars and "stop doubting and believe" (v. 27). Thomas declared in praise, "My Lord and My God!" (v. 28).
John writes: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (1:1-4, 14).
Peter proclaimed, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Peter calls Christ "a lamb without blemish or defect... chosen before the creation of the world... revealed in these last times for your sake" (1 Peter 1:18-20).
Stephen, the first martyr of the faith, when dying, looked up to heaven and said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." He prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:55-61).
Paul says of Jesus, "Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.... Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil. 2:6-11).
In Colossians he says, "He is the image of the invisible God.... All things were created by him and for him" (1:15-20).
Hebrews says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory" (1:1-3).
The Revelator says of his vision of Christ: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades'" (Rev. 1:17-18). At the end of the age he sees Christ returning as King of kings (19:11-16).
What did the early church fathers say about Jesus? The early church fathers confirmed what the New Testament says. In a letter to the Ephesians, Ignatius of Antioch refers to Jesus as "God existing in flesh."
Polycarp of Smyrna, a student of John the apostle, sent a letter to the church at Philippi between AD 112 and AD 118. In it he speaks of the divinity of Jesus and His exaltation to heaven. He was martyred around AD 160.
Justin Martyr, who grew up in Israel, was impressed by the steadfast faith of Christians who died for their faith. He became a Christian and leader of the church. He wrote, "If you had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have denied that [Jesus] was God." He was martyred in AD 165.
Irenaeus became bishop of Lyons in AD 177. He battled Gnosticism and wrote in his commentary on John 1:1, "All distinctions between the Father and Son vanish, for the one God made all things through His word."
One hundred years before Constantine, Tertullian (c. AD 155-c. AD 220) taught that Christ was fully divine and fully human (Erwin W. Lutzer, The Da Vinci Deception, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2004).
C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, said there is only one of three possibilities about a man who claims to be God: either he is a lunatic, a liar, or Lord.
As man, Jesus was born in Bethlehem's manger; but as God, He is from everlasting to everlasting. As man, He spoke in parables; but as God, He spoke the world into being. As man, He walked the streets of Jerusalem and Capernaum; but as God, He walked on the water. As man, He was hungry; but as God, He said, "I am the bread of life." As man, He was thirsty; but as God, He said, "I give you living water." As man, He was tired; but as God, He said, "I will give you rest." As man, He was tempted; but as God, He knew no sin. As man, He prayed; but as God, He answered prayer. As man, He was nailed to a cross; but as God, He arose on the third day as Lord!
The entire New Testament was written for one reason: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31).
Here's the bottom line: Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, divine, sinless, the sacrifice for our sins, and the only way to salvation. You must be born again through faith in Him (John 3:16; 1 John 5:1-12).
At the end of the movie, Robert Langdon helps Sophie Neveu, a young cryptologist, realize that she is the only living heir of Jesus Christ. He asks her, "What would the heir of Christ do? Reveal the truth, that Jesus was not divine, and destroy faith, or renew their faith?" This question strikes at the point of the novel—that faith is based on fiction, not historical fact. However, our faith is not based on fiction but fact—Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Thomas Aquinas expounded on Jesus' claim: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, no journey can be taken. Without the Truth, no truth can be known. Without the Life, no life can be lived. I am the Way which must be followed; I am the Truth which must be believed; I am the Life for which man must hope."
The call of Christ is to believe in Him. What does that mean? Acknowledge Christ as the Son of God. Believe in Him. Trust Him to save you and forgive you of your sins. Commit yourself to Him and follow Him as Lord of your life."
Con:
1. Defending the Word of God.
2. In a society that has created its own belief system - we must stand on and lift up the truth as found in God's Word.
3. John Wesley reply to the statement, "I never will again be united with any who will not let others choose their own religion" was "Then you will never unite with any but knaves; for no honest men who preside over any community will let the members of it do what they judge to be wrong and harmful to that community without endeavoring to prevent it."
[The Letters of John Wesley, III (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980), p.191]
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