July 17, 2016
Morning Worship
Text: John 1:1
Subject: The Deity of Christ; Part 6 in the Inspired Word of God Series
Title: Who Is This Jesus?
I want to return to our series on the inspired Word of God. Haven’t we come to that conclusion? Don’t we know that every word contained in this book is inspired by the Holy Spirit? Now, having said that let me say this. When we talk about the word being infallible we mean that the original manuscripts written by the original authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Since then, when copies were made by hand there may have been some minor errors made. And even considering that, scholars have estimated that the bible we have today is 99.5% accurate and that the .5% of the discrepancies comes from copyist error. And none of the differences have any bearing on biblical doctrine.
NOW! Are you ready for some more of the Word of God?
The bible in its entirety is about Jesus. The Old Testament points to Him. There is a Jewish Christian website that says that there were 365 prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus. https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/prophecy/365-messianic-prophecies I think that is pretty significant don’t you?
Genesis 3:15.....Seed of a woman (virgin birth).....Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:18-20
Exodus 17:6...The Spiritual Rock of Israel...1 Corinthians 10;4
Psalms 2:7...Declared the Beloved Son...Matthew 3:17
Psalms 118:22,23...The rejected stone is Head of the corner...Matthew 21:42,43
The gospels tell us about the life and ministry of Jesus.
The book of Acts and the epistles tell us about the church – the body of Christ - that is established to continue His work and in them there are prophecies concerning His return.
And of course Revelation gives us so much information about the second coming and his continual reign over all things.
And Jesus was there when Moses wrote the first word in Genesis and He is still the great I AM who will bring Revelation to a close.
Let’s begin today then by looking at one of the most well known verses about Jesus that give us a pretty clear indication of who Jesus is.
John 1:1 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
I believe this is God’s word…
I believe it is for me…
I accept it as mine…
I appropriate it to my life today…
I don’t think there is another verse in the bible that’s so clearly defines who Jesus is.
In the beginning was the Word…
Definitoin of word…A sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing or printing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning…
Now we understand through our scripture reading that this particular word is Jesus. And even in His earthly name His character is seen. Jesus – Hebrew = Yeshua… Jehovah saves.
Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV2011)
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
3 The 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.
We also see in this first part of John 1:1 that the word was in the beginning. Now we have to stop and use a little brain - power here. The “beginning” indicates time… when things became a physical reality. When that happened the word was…
and the Word was with God…
I shared with you for a couple of weeks about the reality of God and in doing so we talked about the trinity. One God – three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit… this part of the verse clearly tells us that the word was not the Father (God) but He was with God.
and the Word was God.
Not the Father but still God…
Not the Holy Spirit but still God…
He is the second person of the trinity - Jesus
John 1:14 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word was God and now has become flesh… He is God yet fully man…
How?
The bible tells us that sin is passed down through one’s father. Romans 5:12 (NIV)
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
Our spirit man is stained with sin because our father, Adam, has passed sin down to all of us. Now Jesus came to earth born of a woman through natural means – I mean through childbirth. His conception was not natural but supernatural. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she conceived. So since Jesus’ father was God his spirit man never experienced the spiritual death suffered by the children of Adam. It had to be that way because the reason He came to earth was to be the sin offering for all mankind.
John 1:29 (NKJV)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Did God look down and see how bad things were and think, “Wow. Something went wrong. I better do something?” No, it was planned from the beginning. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. It didn’t matter how bad things got. It didn’t matter who was at fault. It didn’t matter how good or how bad mankind was, the plan was for Jesus to come to die for your sin.
Could Jesus have said, NO”?
If he had then God would have been divided. No, before Adam was created in God’s image God had already planned a way of escape for man’s sin.
1 Corinthians 15:28 (NKJV)
28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Even though Jesus is God He still submits himself to the Father’s authority because God’s will is the same thing as His will.
Jesus is fully God… yet in Philippians 2 we see something about his earthly commission. You know, a lot of people say that Jesus was able to do all the things he did on earth because He was God. Jesus healed people… well He was God. He could do that!
Jesus cast out demons… Yeah? He was God! He walked on water, He fed five thousand, He turned water into wine… He was God!
But Philippians 2 tells us a little different story. Philippians 2:5-7 (NKJV)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Jesus, the Son of God, the second person of the trinity, willing to submit Himself to the will of the Father and leave all His “God”liness in heaven to take the form of a slave. The word form literally is “shape” or “nature”. Jesus was not God who just appeared as a man. He was a man.
If Jesus did not come to earth as God then how did He do the things He did?
He submitted to the Father’s will and He never strayed from it. When Jesus was born his nature was still godly because he didn’t have the sin nature of man. Jesus was always connected to God through the realm of His spirit man. He had the Holy Spirit in him.
Luke 2:40 (NKJV)
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2:49 (NKJV)
49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
Oh can you see it? Even as a child there was the spiritual connection between Jesus and His heavenly Father. And contrary to the tales that are submitted in some of the “false” gospels that have shown u over the thousands of years, Jesus never did any miracle until He was baptized by John. How do we know that? John 2:11 (NKJV)
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Matthew 3:13-17 (NKJV)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Look at verse 15,
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Obedience and fulfillment were the outstanding traits of the Messiah's sacrificial work. In applying these, He could brook no opposition. Every righteous ordinance, all religious usages that were enjoined upon the people. He wanted to fulfill. This Jesus gently, but firmly urged. It was the proper, the right, and the expedient thing to do. And so John agreed.
From ancient times the teachers of the Church have found here a wider, larger reference. "Jesus says:... If that shall be performed that the poor sinners may come to righteousness and be saved, you must baptize Me. Because for the sake of sinners I have become a sinner, must therefore do what God has charged the sinners to do, in order that they may become just through Me."
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
It is an idle speculation to inquire why the dove was chosen, and to find the comparison in the perfect gentleness, purity, and fullness of life of this bird. Let us rather emphasize the fact that God wanted to convey the idea of an unlimited imparting of the Holy Spirit to His Son, according to His human nature
This man that was thus plainly distinguished and set apart from all the rest of the people there present is the true Son of God, beloved of Him in a unique sense. It is an eternal act of loving contemplation with which the. Father regards the Son. It is with the consciousness of the Father's good pleasure, His full and unequivocal consent and blessing, that Christ enters upon His ministry. The Triune God, at the baptism of Jesus, set the seal of His approval upon the work of redemption and gave us the pattern by which we are to live our Christian lives.
1. Repentance of sin signified by baptism.
2. The baptism in the Holy Spirit for power…
Can we be like Jesus? Yes. If you are born again! Your spirit man becomes like Christ because of Christ.
Jesus fully God… the Lamb of God!
Jesus fully man… empowered by the Holy Spirit for his life here on earth.
All for you.
What will you do with Jesus?
1 John 2:6 (NIV2011)
6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Submit to God…
Live in the light of your revelation of God in your cleansed state…
Do the things that Jesus did…
