Part 1. Who is Jesus?
Vince Lombardi was one of football’s greatest coaches. He coached the Green Bay Packers to five championships. After a disappointing game, Vince walked into the locker room and held up a football. "Men", he said, "This is a football". He went on to make the point that there comes a time when the best strategy is to get back to the basics. There is a great object lesson in that illustration. He stood before champions; in this room were of some of the greatest football players in history. Even the best of the best have to stop and get back to the basics when they get off course.
The same is true for Christians. Even the most mature Christian can get off course. Even strong Christians need to take the time to remember the basics. When we get off target (and we all do at times), traditions begin to creep in and before long even solid Christians can find themselves relying more on the traditions and putting doctrines of men over the doctrine of scripture. The message of the cross is the most fundamental doctrine of scripture. If we loose sight of the cross or allow errors to alter this truth, the foundation of Christianity is weakened, if not lost all together. This is not a secondary issue. The message of the cross is the foundation of our faith. If I don’t understand the purpose of the cross or what transpired on the cross, I am building my personal faith on a fallible foundation. Unfortunately today we see people putting more trust in fallible men and less faith in the infallible scripture.
This study will begin by looking at the foundation of our faith - Jesus Christ. I want to first answer the question, ’Who is Jesus?’ Then I want to look at three questions: why the cross was necessary, what happened on the cross and what happened after the cross.
Who is Jesus?
Let’s begin by looking at the Bible’s definition of who Christ is. Isaiah identifies Messiah this way:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Some struggle with the definition of ’mighty God’. Is this the same God who created us, the Jehovah of the Old Testament? Jeremiah gives a similar description to Jehovah that is found here in Isaiah. In the Old Testament, anytime we see LORD in all caps, that is a reference indicating that the Hebrew word was Jehovah (or YHWH).
Jeremiah 32:
18 ’You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them -- the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
19 ’You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.
Jehovah is called the ’Mighty God’ and the great counselor. Jehovah gives the fruit of our ways, and Jesus said He produces fruit in our lives when we abide in Him (John 15). Also notice Isaiah’s prophecy, a child is born, but the Son is given. The flesh may have come into existence during conception, but the Son existed before birth and was given as a gift to the world. The son who was to be born of a virgin was given the same attributes that were reserved for the LORD God in the Old Testament.
Why the virgin birth?
Isaiah 7:14 describes the Son, Jesus Christ as Immanuel or translated, ’God with us’.
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
The virgin birth is the most scoffed sign that God gave concerning Christ. Some Christians and Christian leaders are intimidated by skepticism and have abandoned the Bible’s clear teaching of the virgin birth of Christ. Why would it be hard to believe that our Creator has the ability to create life in the womb? Some argue that this is impossible, but if it wasn’t impossible, it would not be a miracle. One preacher I read argued that the word ’virgin’ should be translated ’maiden’. Even the word maid or maiden in the Bible is always associated with a young woman who remains pure and unmarried. What kind of sign would it be to say, ’a young woman would be with child’ but not a virgin woman? The virgin birth is essential for two reasons. One, the Bible teaches it. If we are going to be selective about what part of God’s word is really true, then we are essentially denying that God’s word is truth. God clearly states that He exalts His word above His name (Psalm 138). If we can’t trust the word as reliable, then we don’t have a foundation to stand upon with any doctrine.
Second, man has an inherited sin nature. In Adam, we inherit a sinful nature. It is a product of the fall. Any observant person can see that we are born with sin. I have three children. I didn’t teach any of them how to disobey, hit, bite, throw fits or rebel. I didn’t have to teach them to be greedy, stingy or selfish. They are born with these tendencies and as a parent, I reshape their behaviors while directing them to Christ so He can reshape their heart. If Jesus was born through human conception, He could not be perfect and without a sin nature. Therefore He would be in need of redemption and would not qualify to be a redeemer. This goes back to Genesis 3:15 when God declared that the woman’s seed would crush the head of the serpent’s seed. Descendents are always called the seed of the father, but God foretold that satan would be crushed through the seed of Eve, not Adam. Through the virgin birth, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy given at the fall. Jesus was born through the conception of the Holy Spirit and was incarnated with His divine nature and not man’s sinful nature. The virgin birth is essential because it helps us to identify who Jesus is and that He was born with a sinless nature.
Jehovah will send His Messenger before Him
The Bible foretells that God will send His messenger to declare His coming.
Isaiah 40: 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.
In these two passages in the Old Testament, we see the messenger who would be John the Baptist would be sent to prepare the way for the LORD/Jehovah and that He is our God. Then God/Jehovah said, "I will send My messenger" to prepare the way before "Me" and the LORD would be the Messenger of the covenant. We know that covenant is the redemption through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ’Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ "
Prepare the way for the LORD/Jehovah, make straight the highway for our God is declared in Isaiah. The LORD [Jehovah] said "I will send My messenger" in Malachi. This was fulfilled and all four gospels identify John the Baptist as the messenger and Jesus Christ as the one coming. If Jehovah/God said to "prepare the way before Me", the Bible is clearly equating identifying Jesus Christ as the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
Jehovah is Creator
The title ’Creator’ is given to LORD/Jehovah in the Old Testament and this is revealed as Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
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10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
In this passage, John begins by describing Jesus as the Word of God having come in the flesh and then explains that the Word of God is God. The one who became flesh is also the creator of all things. Some teachers struggle with this idea that the ’Word was God’. If we look in the context of the passages around this phrase, the One who is called the Word is clearly God. Not a god (or mighty one), but the God in the flesh. Verse 3 says that all things were made through Him. Verse 10 reiterates this by saying that He was in the world and the world was made through Him. His creation rejected Him. Just the fact that Jesus is given credit for creating the world that rejected Him identifies Him as God. Only God can create. Man cannot create anything even if he is a prophet. Angels have no ability to create because they are created and only have the authority that God has given them. If Jesus is the ’creator of all things’, then He is the only true God. Many passages attribute Jesus as our creator.
Ephesians 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Colossians 1:
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
There are so many Old Testament references to Jehovah being creator that it is hard to decide which to use. The first verse in the Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth, but Psalm 89 gives a wonderful description. Not only does it credit Jehovah as being the creator of all things, but this passage also points directly to two other references that reveal Christ’s deity. This passage refers to Jehovah calming the sea, which is one of the miracles of Jesus, and it references the throne of righteousness, justice and mercy which are also attributed to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Psalm 89
8 O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.
10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
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14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.
In Matthew 8:25-27 we see Jesus calming the waves as His disciples are amazed and asking "Who is this that even the winds and sea obey Him"? Jeremiah foretells of Christ by the word of LORD[Jehovah] saying that out of David will arise a branch of righteousness and He will be called the LORD [Jehovah] our righteousness:
Jeremiah 22:
5 " Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jesus is called our Creator, the LORD our righteousness, the One who calms the seas, the King who reigns in judgment and righteousness. He is also called merciful. All these attributes are given to the LORD/Jehovah of the Old Testament.
Before I move on I believe it is necessary to address the phrase "the firstborn over all creation" found in Colossians 1:15. Some people get confused and think this means that Jesus Christ is a created being instead of the incarnate God. This phrase does not mean He was created, but instead means that He was established as having preeminence over all creation. The first rule of interpreting scripture is to compare it with the rest of scripture. God also called the nation of Israel His son and His firstborn. Look at Exodus 4:
22 "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ’Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.
Israel was not the first nation. In fact, Pharaoh was the ruler of one of the first civilizations and was established long before Israel. In Psalm 89:20-27 God honors King David for making God the rock of His salvation and his strength. God honored him by saying that He would make David God’s firstborn - the highest of the kings of the earth. Firstborn is a position of honor. The firstborn son had rights not granted to the other sons. The firstborn son received a double portion of the inheritance of his father. The firstborn was a position of honor, the ruler of his family and inherited the authority of his father. The firstborn son also was appointed the spiritual leader of his people. In some instances the second born would inherit the right to be heir in place of the firstborn. For example, Ephraim, the second born son of Joseph was blessed as the firstborn against his father’s wishes. God called Himself the Father of Israel and Ephraim His firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9). Jacob received the blessing of the firstborn in the place of Esau. God counted Isaac as the firstborn of Abraham even though Ishmael was first. Here in Colossians we see Jesus counted as the firstborn over Adam who sinned in the Garden of Eden. All of creation was under the curse through Adam but is redeemed through Christ who has been granted the rights of being the firstborn over creation instead of Adam. It is a position of authority over creation and not a reference to under the creation. It is not consistent with the rest of scripture to call Jesus the image of the invisible God and then call Him created and to follow up by saying "all things were created through Him and for Him". The Bible is clear - unto us a child is born, but the Son is given. The Son was not born, but existed before the foundation of the world. The Son is the Word and the Word is God. Jesus created all things thus equating Himself with God in Genesis 1:1 and Jehovah our Creator throughout the Old Testament.
Jehovah is Judge
Psalm 9:
7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
Here we see the LORD/Jehovah has prepared His throne to judge the world in righteousness. In the New Testament Jesus is revealed as being the judge of the world.
John 5:
22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
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27 "and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
In Revelation 3:21 Jesus promises that those who overcome will sit with Him on His throne and in 6:16-17 all those on the earth cry for the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb who sits on the throne. Scripture concludes with a clear reference to Jesus as being on the throne and being God. Revelation 21
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
The entire purpose of this book is to reveal Jesus Christ. He was veiled during the time of His visitation, His Revelation in all His glory is the final process of God’s plan of redemption. As we will see a little later in this study that Jesus identifies Himself in Revelation 22 as the Root and the Branch of David, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. Scripture in the Old Testament clearly identifies Jehovah as the One who will judge the entire world and the New Testament clearly identifies this Judge as Jesus Christ.
Jehovah was Priced
In Old Testament prophecy, God identifies Himself as being valued at 30 pieces of silver. Look at Zechariah 11:
12 Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter" -- that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.
God is saying that the value set on Him is the price of a dead slave. In Exodus 21:32 the law requires that if a slave killed by a bull owned by another person, the owner of the bull must pay restitution of 30 pieces of silver. In Zechariah, God is saying that Israel will count their Creator as the value of a mauled slave. In Zechariah 11:13 the LORD/Jehovah said, "that princely price they valued me" would be thrown to the potter by casting it into the house of the Lord. We see the fulfillment in Matthew as the value of Jesus Christ, which clearly identifies Christ as Jehovah who spoke in Zechariah 11.
Matthew 26:
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Matthew 27:
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Jesus was a servant killed by bulls. In Psalm 22, the Bible gives us a window into Christ’s death on the cross. While He hung dying, He said, "Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me". Just as Zechariah saw, the LORD or Jehovah in this Old Testament prophecy is revealed as Jesus Christ in the gospels.
Jehovah is the First and the Last
Several times in the Old Testament, the LORD/Jehovah is identified with the title, "I am the First and the Last". Look at these two passages in Isaiah:
Isaiah 44:6 " Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ’I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.’
Isaiah 48:12 " Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.
13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.
These attributes of Jehovah in the Old Testament are revealed as Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Jesus is given credit as creating the heavens and the earth and ’by Him all things consists’. The same language used in the Old Testament. Nothing clarifies this as being Jesus Christ more unmistakably than Revelation 22:
13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
This is what Paul called the great mystery. Because Jesus and the plan of redemption was veiled in the Old Testament, they could not see who God was. Jesus is the root, or the beginning of David, king of Israel, but He is also the branch that came out of David. Jeremiah called the offspring of David: THE LORD [Jehovah] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Matthew 22:
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."
43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him ’Lord,’ saying:
44 ’The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" ’?
45 "If David then calls Him ’Lord,’ how is He his Son?"
46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
Obviously, the God who created David could not have come into being through David. They did not understand because they could not see the road to the cross. Through David came the promise of a Redeemer and that person was Jesus Christ. Jesus may have been born through David, but He was Lord of David and He was [and is] JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
This is a lot of scripture, but I believe it is essential to establish who Jesus is based on scripture. If we have a false view of who Jesus Christ is, then we have no foundation for our faith. A man cannot redeem our sins. If Jesus was not God, then He cannot save. If we deny or are unsure of the deity of Jesus then we are standing outside of the essential Christian doctrine. Without faith in Christ, there is no salvation. Faith in a lesser Christ is not faith in Christ at all. Many false religions say, "Jesus is Lord" or "Jesus Saves" but that doesn’t mean Jesus Christ is truly their Lord. We can create a god in our image and call it ’Jesus’, but that does not make it Jesus. An idol cannot save, nor can a false Jesus save. God has revealed Himself in scripture. To accept Him is to accept Him as He has been revealed. If we reject God’s revelation, we have already rejected God.
*** This sermon can be downloaded as a Word document by following the link at http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/topical/basics1.htm
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