Sermon Series: The Five Most Important Teachings of Scripture
Message 3 of 5:
“JESUS IS BOTH ALMIGHTY GOD, AND MAN OUR SAVIOUR”
September 03, 2023—Greenmount and O’Leary Churches of Christ
Video Link to this Sermon:
https://youtu.be/6-IAuPwnJFs?si=HovSck2uYzOmVJX_
INTRODUCTION:
1) We have been looking at what I have called the Five Most Important Teachings of the Word of God.
A.) Two weeks ago we saw that “A Loving God Created This World.”
B) Last week we saw that “Man Needs A Saviour.”
C) In this third message I want us to see that “Jesus is both the Almighty God, and Man the Saviour.
ca.) I think sometimes when we think on such a thing, we tend to think that Jesus is 50% man, and 50 % God.
caa.) That would be a mistaken concept as Jesus while on this earth was 100% man and 100% God.
.01) From our perspective and from the means of an equation we would say that if he is 100% man and 100% God there would have to be two separate beings as 100% is the total number there could be for one person.
.02) But in some manner which we are not capable of understanding Jesus is both 100% man and 100 % God all the time, and yet the total of this combined being is still 00% not 200 %
D) Let us look at Jesus as both the Almighty God and as man our Saviour.
I) THE DIVINITY AND HUMANITY OF JESUS WAS PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
1) Isaiah prophesied his birth would be both God and man.
A) Isaiah 7:14
aa.) Isaiah prophesied that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a child.
aaa.) That should set off some alarm bells as it was impossible in that day, and without medical tampering in a lab it is also impossible today.
.01) Even today if pregnancy occurs in a lab, it still requires both the human male and the human female to produce and to fertilize that egg.
.02) Science may bring those elements together but science cannot cause a pregnancy to happen if there is only the egg and no male to sperm to be united with that egg.
ab.) Also note the name that Isaiah prophesied for this child: “Immanuel.”
aba.) If you look at the “El” ending of the name, it refers to God.
.01) Anytime in Scripture where you see that “El” ending it always refers in some way to God.
.011) Let me illustrate this:
.0111) Israel= “One Who struggles with God”
.0112) Bethel = “House of God.”
.0113) One of the Babylonian captives who later became a prophet of God was named Daniel =
“God is my Judge”.
.0114) The Angel Gabriel = “God is my strength.”
(02) In the same way when Isaiah prophesied the coming of Jesus, he called him: “Immanuel.”
.021) So whatever this name means it must have something to do with God.
2) Isaiah proclaimed both the humanity, and the divinity of this one to be born “Immanuel.”
A) Isaiah 9:6a.
aa.) He is a child; He is a son.
aaa.) In the first half of this verse Isaiah declared his humanity that he would be a human being.
.01) I guess that should not be a surprise as that description could be put on any baby boy that had been born.
B) Isaiah 9:6b
ba.) The second half of this verse gives us several other names for Immanuel.
bb.) These additional names are names that declare him to be not only man, but also the Almighty Living God.
bba.) “And He will be called Wonderful.
bbb.) “Counselor”
bbc.) “Mighty God”
bbd.) “Eternal Father”
bbe.) “The Prince Of Peace”
C) Even before Jesus had been born, Isaiah prophesied that this coming Immanuel would be both Man and God.
3) Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus refers us to this title of “Immanuel”.
A) The birth of Jesus occurred 700 to 800 years after this prophecy, Matthew translated the meaning of the word for our benefit.
aa.) By the time of the birth of Jesus the Hebrew and Aramaic languages were still spoken by the Jewish people.
ab.) At the same time though the Greek, Latin, and other languages where the Jewish people had gone were also being spoken around Palestine, and by some of the Jewish people.
aba.) For that reason, and for those like us who do not know Hebrew, Matthew added a bit of a footnote to explain it for our benefit.
.01) Matthew 1:22-23
II) THE DIVINITY AND HUMANITY OF JESUS WAS PROCLAIMED BY JESUS HIMSELF.
1) Jesus declared his deity and his humanity as a child.
A) We find the account in Luke 2:41-52.
aa.) I believe we are all familiar with that account.
ab.) To quickly summarize the account Mary, and Joseph were with Jesus to the Passover feast when Jesus was twelve years of age.
aba.) When the feast was over, they got ready to head home.
abb.) They assumed Jesus was with some of the other family members and started the journey back home.
.01) Sometime towards the end of the first day of travel Mary and Joseph discovered Jesus was not with them.
.011) Most of us as have experienced fear when our children may have disappeared from our sight in a mall or some other place.
.012) Yet as great as our fear was it usually only lasted for a few minutes before we found our child.
.013) With Jesus he disappeared for 2-3 days.
.02) When they finally found him, he was in the temple of God.
.021) Like any parent they were relieved but may also have had a bit of anger at Jesus.
.0211) Luke 2:48
.022) I want you to take note of the response of Jesus:
.0221) Luke 2:49-50
.0222) In this passage we see both the deity, and the humanity of Jesus.
• In the proclamation of God as his father he claimed deity.
• In his obedience and submission to his parents he demonstrated humanity.
2) Jesus regularly declared deity along side his humanity in the ministry.
A) At least seven times Jesus did this in the Gospel of John with his “I Am” statements.
aa.) To understand the significance of these statements we need to go back to the call of Moses in Exodus 3.
ab.) In previous generations the people of God had known more of God, and his name, but by Moses’ day much of this had been forgotten.
ac.) There came a day that Moses was out in the wilderness tending his father in law’s sheep that God called him.
aca.) There in the wilderness, Moses encountered a bush that looked like it was on fire but was not being consumed by fire.
acb.) Moses soon found this to be a place of Holy ground because the presence of God was there and met with him.
acc.) At that time, God summoned Moses into the service of God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.
.01) Moses wanted proof and a name by which God could be identified in case the Israelites wanted validation that he had met with God.
.02) Exodus 3:13-14
.021) The name by which God would be identified to Moses, and to Israel was: “I Am.”
.022) Among the Jewish people, this name became so holy that they would leave the vowels out when writing it down, just to try and keep from blaspheming the name of God even in their writing.
.023) In fact we are not even completely sure of the pronunciation of that name because of that.
• Today it is usually pronounced as Jehovah, though many feel the more correct pronunciation should be Yahweh.
B) I had said that at least seven times Jesus used this title in John’s gospel to refer to himself.
C.) In each of these seven times Jesus gave these “I AM statements he was applying this very name of God on himself.
ca.) John 6:35,41, 48, and 51. – “I am the Bread Of Life.”
cb.) John 8:12 “I am the Light Of The World.”
cc.) John 10:7,9 “I am the door of the sheep.”
cd.) John 10: 11,14 “I am the Good Shepherd.”
ce.) John 11:25 “I am The Resurrection and the life.”
cf.)John 14:6 “the Way, the truth, and the life.”
cg.) John 15:1-5 I am the True Vine
D) Each of these “I Am” statements were declarations that He a man is also the Almighty God.
da.) Each time Jesus would make such a statement it naturally angered the people.
db.) There was at least one of these times when Jesus declared that he is “I Am” that it particularly upset Jesus.
dba.) John 8:53-59
.01) It is no wonder that on that occasion the people picked up stones and tried to kill Jesus.
.011) They could accept him as a prophet, a great teacher or Rabbi who had come from God, or even their Messiah.
.012) But for Jesus to stand up and declare that He was before Abraham because he is the Almighty God was taking things way too far.
.013) Such a claim was nothing short of blasphemy and was truly worthy of death.
.014) If Jesus was anyone other than Immanuel, God with us, they would have been entirely justified to put Jesus to death.
3) Jesus did not merely declare he was the Almighty God but demonstrated it.
A) When Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead he proved He was God.
B) When Jesus from exhaustion, slept on a cushion in the stern of a fishing boat he showed his frailty as a man.
ba.) Yet when Jesus commanded the wind and the waves that were attacking that boat to be still, he showed himself to be God.
bb.) When Jesus was suffering and dying on a cross, he showed himself to be a man.
bba.) Yet from that cross when he forgave those who were standing there, he declared himself to be God.
bbb.) When Jesus decided the very moment when he would die, he showed himself to be both God and man.
bbc.) The way Jesus conducted himself, and in which he died declared to a Roman soldier that Jesus was the Son of God.
bbd.) Dying on the cross, he showed himself to be man.
.01) Breaking through the gates of the grave on that third day declared him to be God.
III) THE DUAL NATURE OF THE DIVINITY AND HUMANITY OF JESUS IS NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION.
1) It is necessary for Jesus to be both God and man because an offence against God can only be rectified by one the person of God.
A) Once sin came into this world there was nothing that man could have done to restore that relationship with God.
aa.) Any restoration could only be made by one who is himself God.
2) It is necessary for Jesus to be both God and man to deal with man in his sin.
A.) Our salvation requires a perfect sacrifice.
aa.) Being tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin allows Jesus to have understanding and mercy on us in his role as God who will judge us.
ab.) Having experienced life he knows how hard it is for us when we are faced with temptation and can therefore be far more merciful than he otherwise could be.
aba.) In this capacity, he can now with mercy intercede on our behalf at the right hand of the throne of God.
3) Jesus had to be both God and man so he could be perfected by his sufferings.
A) Scripture declares that Jesus was made perfect by his sufferings.
aa.) Hebrews 2:10
B) This statement gives us a question:
ba.) Wasn’t Jesus always sinless and perfect?
bb.) As God he was always without sin and perfect.
bc.) As man the declaration could not be made of Jesus as perfect, and without sin until the time of his death.
bca.) Until the very moment Jesus died on the cross, the declaration could not be made that as a man he was perfect. Only death could determine that.
bcb.) More than this, even perfect and sinless as a man he could not be declared the perfect sacrifice until such a time as he suffered and died for our sins.
CONCLUSION:
1) Over the past two weeks, we have seen two of the greatest teachings of all the Word of God:
A) A Loving God created This world and
B) Man needs a Saviour.
2) Today we have seen that Jesus is both the Almighty God, and Man our Saviour.
A) Today we have looked at a third of the greatest five teachings in all the Word of God -- Jesus is both the Almighty God, and Man our Saviour.
3) Next, we will look at the fourth in this series of the five Greatest Teachings of Scripture, that God calls us to relationship with Him.
