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CHRIST THE LORD
A. Introduction: We’ve begun a new series about who Jesus is. Jesus warned that the years leading up to His
second coming will be marked by religious deception—specifically false Christs and false prophets, who
preach false messages, and deceive many. Matt 24:4-5; 11; 24
1. We’re living in that time of deception. All sorts of ideas abound about who Jesus is and why He came
into this world. And, social media takes this confusion to a whole new level.
a. Our only protection against deception about Jesus is to know for ourselves who He is, and why He
came into this world, from the only fully reliable, completely trustworthy source of information
about Him—the Bible, the written Word of God.
1. We spent the first eight weeks of this year looking at why we can trust the contents of the New
Testament. The New Testament was written by eyewitnesses of Jesus—men who walked and
talked with Jesus, saw Him die, then saw Him alive again. What they saw changed their lives.
2. When the New Testament is examined with the same criteria used to assess the reliability of
other ancient works, it is on a par with, and stands up to, other ancient books.
b. It is not unusual to hear people today say that they believe that Jesus was a good man who urged us
to love each other, but that He never claimed to be God. However, the eyewitnesses report that
Jesus was more than a man. Jesus did in fact claim to be God, and the eyewitnesses believed Him.
2. Let’s briefly review last week’s lesson. We looked at an incident recorded in three of the four gospels
(the historical biographies of Jesus.) Jesus asked His apostles: Who do you say that I the Son of Man
I am, to which Peter replied, you are the Christ, the Son of God. Matt 16:13-16
a. Three titles are used to refer to Jesus in this incident—the Son of Man, the Christ, and the Son of
God. All three have great significance and all give us insight into who Jesus is. Jesus is God
Incarnate, God in human flesh. To incarnate means to take on a human nature.
b. The New Testament reveals that Jesus is God become man without ceasing to be God. He is the
God-man—fully God at the same time that He is fully man. He is one Person, with two natures—
human and Divine. Phil 2:5-7
1. When Jesus came into this world, He put on something. He did not put off or put aside His
Deity (His Divine nature), Jesus took on (put on, assumed) a full human nature.
2. Jesus was not God living in a human body, nor did His natures mix. He was God living as a
Man, fully God at the same time He was fully man. This is beyond comprehension. I Tim 3:16
c. Jesus assumed a human nature so that He could die as a sacrifice for sin, and open the way for all
who believe on Him to be delivered from the penalty and power of sin. Heb 2:9-15
3. To fully appreciate who Jesus is we must review some comments we made last week about the Trinity.
Trinity is from two Latin words—tri (three) and unis (one). Although the word Trinity is not found in
the Bible, the doctrine (or teaching) is.
a. The Bible reveals that God is one God (one Being) who simultaneously manifests as three distinct
Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are Persons in the sense that they are self
aware and interactive with each other.
1. Person is the best word we can use to describe the Indescribable. But the word person falls
short because, to us, person means an individual who is separate from other individuals, and
these three Persons are distinct, but not separate. They co-inhere or share one Divine nature.
2. You can’t have one without the others. Where the Father is, so is the Son, and so is the Holy
Spirit. The Father is all God. The Son is all God. The Holy Spirit is all God.
b. This is beyond our comprehension, since we are talking about an Infinite (limitless) Being and we
are finite (limited) beings. All efforts to explain the nature of God fall short. We can only accept
what the Bible reveals and rejoice in the wonder of God.
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c. Two thousand years ago, in the womb of a virgin named Mary, a Divine Person (the Son)
incarnated, or took on a human nature, and was born into this world. In this lesson we’re going to
consider how the eyewitnesses came to believe that believed that Jesus was and is God Incarnate.

B. Jesus was born into 1st century Israel. His first followers were Jewish. Their world view was shaped by the
Old Testament. They understood from these Scriptures that Almighty God would one day send a Redeemer
(Messiah) to deliver this world from sin, corruption, and death, and set up God’s kingdom on earth.
1. By the beginning of the 1st century AD, Israel was filled with anticipation that the coming of the Messiah
was near. Five hundred years earlier, one of their Old Testament prophets, Daniel, was shown that four
empires would rule over the land of Israel, and then the Messiah would come. Dan 2:36-45
a. When Daniel made this prediction, the Babylonian Empire controlled Israel. Persia eventually
conquered Babylon and all its lands, including Israel. Persia was overtaken by the Greek Empire,
which was overrun by the Roman Empire which took control of Israel in 63 BC. The fourth empire
was in place and Israel knew that it was time for the Redeemer to arrive.
1. Daniel the prophet also wrote that the angel Gabriel called this Redeemer the Messiah, and said
that He would bring an end to sin and usher in everlasting righteousness. Dan 9:24-26
2. The Hebrew word translated Messiah means Anointed One. Christ is from a Greek word that
means Anointed (Christos) or set apart. The Messiah would be set apart by God for this work.
b. About twenty-five years into the 1st century AD, a prophet named John the Baptist began to preach
that the people of Israel should repent of sin because the kingdom of God was at hand. Matt 3:1-2
1. John’s public ministry caused quite a stir, and Israel’s religious leaders sent temple assistants
and priests to John to ask if he was the promised Messiah. John 1:19-22
2. John quoted Isaiah the prophet and stated that his ministry was fulfillment of a prophecy in
Isaiah (Isa 40:3)—I am a voice shouting in the wilderness—Prepare a straight pathway for the
Lord’s coming (John 1:23, NLT).
A. The Greek word translated Lord is kurios. It means supreme in authority. It’s equivalent
to the term Jehovah (or Yahweh), the name of the God of Israel, the name by which
Almighty God had revealed Himself to Moses at Mt. Sinai fifteen hundred years earlier.
B. When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek (285-246 BC) kurios is
the Greek word that the scholars chose for the Hebrew name Jehovah.
2. One of the four New Testament gospels (the Gospel of John, the apostle) has a detailed account of how
some of Jesus’ first twelve apostles encountered Jesus during John’s ministry, and their reaction to Him.
Note what Jesus was called from the first few days of His pubic ministry (the titles He was given).
a. John the apostle reports that the day after John Baptist was questioned by the priests and assistants,
he saw Jesus approaching him. Jesus was in the crowd that had come to be baptized. John Baptist
cried out: There He is—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29
1. Keep in mind that for over 1500 years, 1st century Jews have lived according to the instructions
words God gave Moses at Mt. Sinai, including sacrificing lambs to cover (atone) for their sins.
2. Keep in mind that up to this point in Israel’s history, under their religious system, all the lambs
sacrificed for sin were provided by men. According to John, this Lamb is provided by God.
They don’t know it yet, but Jesus, because of His value as the God-man, is qualified to take
away (bear away) the sins of the world, through the sacrifice of Himself on the Cross.
b. Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospel all report that when Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended
on Jesus (Matt 3:16-17). John said God sent him to baptize and told him, when you see the Holy
Spirit descending and resting upon someone, he is the one you are looking for John 1:32-35). John
revealed: I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Son of God (John 1:35, NLT).
1. Remember what we said last week about the title Son of God. In that culture, son of could
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mean fathered by (or offspring of). But it also meant on the order of, or one who possesses his
father’s qualities. II Kings 2:3-5; Eph 5:8; etc.
A. First century men understood the title Son of God to be a claim of Deity. Jewish religious
leaders attempted to stone Jesus to death several times for blasphemy because He referred
to God as His father, making Himself God’s Son. John 5:18; John 10:31-33
B. Another Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, wrote that a Son was coming from God and that He
would be God: Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be
upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father (Father of Eternity), the Prince of Peace. Isa 9:6
2. When John Baptist saw Jesus he proclaimed: He is the one I was talking about about
when I told you someone far greater than me is coming, “for he existed long before I did” (John
1:30, NLT). However, John was actually conceived six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36).
c. The day after Temple authorities questioned John Baptist, he was standing with two of his disciples
(one was Andrew, Peter’s brother), and again proclaimed that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
1. Andrew went to tell his brother Peter and bring him to Jesus, telling him, we have found the
Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. John 1:35-42
2. Jesus encountered Philip the apostle, who responded, and went to look for Nathanael (we aren’t
told how Philip met Jesus or how he and Nathanael knew each other). Philip told Nathanael,
we have found the one the prophets wrote about, and then took him to Jesus. John 1:43-49
A. As the two men approached the Lord, Jesus said of Nathanael, here comes an honest man
—a true son of Israel. When Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew that about him, Jesus
answered, I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.
B. Note what Nathanael replied: You are the Son of God—the King of Israel. First century
Israel knew that prophets predicted a king was coming to them. Jer 23:5-6; Zec 9:9
3. Jesus told him: You will see greater things than this. The truth is, you will all see heaven
open and the angels of God going up and down upon the Son of Man (John 1:50-51, NLT).
3. As Jesus’ twelve apostles (eyewitnesses) spent extensive time with Him over the next three and a half
years, not only did they see Him do miracles which further confirmed this is the One that the prophets
wrote about (Matt 11:1-6), they learned the circumstances of His birth.
a. They would have learned (possibly from Mary herself) how that the angel Gabriel appeared to her
when she was still a virgin. He told her that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her, she would
conceive in her womb, and give birth to a child who would be called the Son of God. Luke 1:26-35
1. The apostles would have learned that Gabriel appeared to Joseph as well (Mary’s fiancé or her
betrothed) and told him that the child “conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:20,
ESV). And, they were to call the child Jesus which means Savior “for he will save his people
from their sins” (Matt 1:21, NLT; Luke 1:31).
2. Gabriel further stated that this birth would be the fulfillment of Isa 7:14—a prophecy that a
virgin will bring forth a son and they will call him Emmanuel, or God with us. Matt 1:23
3. Remember, the title Son of God is used in two ways in regard to Jesus, the God-man: He
is God Incarnate—fully God and fully man. And God is the Father of His human nature.
b. The twelve apostles would have been informed that shortly after Gabriel delivered his message to
Mary, she went to see her cousin Elisabeth, who was also pregnant with an unusual baby who
conceived by two people too old to have a child. This baby will be John the Baptist. Luke 1:5-17
1. When Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she was filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke out:
What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me (Luke 2:43, NLT).
2. The Greek word translated Lord is kurios, the Greek equivalent of the term Jehovah, the name
of the God of Israel, given to Moses at Mt. Sinai.
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c. The apostles would have heard that the night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to shepherds outside
the city of Bethlehem and proclaimed: A Savior has been born today; He is Christ the Lord
(Luke 2:11). Christ is that same Greek word we’ve already mentioned, kurios.
4. As we read the gospel accounts we see that the apostles struggled with their initial belief that Jesus was
the Christ, the Son of God, especially when He was crucified and died.
a. But when Jesus arose from the day three days later, all doubts as to who Jesus was and is were
removed. These men were so convinced of who Jesus is that they literally gave up their lives to tell
the world that He is God Incarnate and that He takes away the sin of the world.
b. When Jesus appeared to His apostles following His resurrection, Thomas was not with them. He
said he wouldn’t believe that the Lord had risen until he saw Jesus’ scars. John 20:24-28
1. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to His apostles. This time Thomas was present, he was
convinced by what he saw. His response to Jesus was: My Lord (kurios) and my God.
2. Jesus accepted this act of worship. As good Jews, both Thomas and Jesus knew that there is
only one Lord and God. Deut 6:4; Ex 20:1-5
C. Conclusion. We have more to say next week about who Jesus is and why He came into this world. But
consider these thoughts as we close.
1. Many today (including so-called scholars) try to say that Jesus never claimed to be God. They say that
His Deity and resurrection were myths and legends that developed long after Jesus lived.
a. However, to say that the eyewitnesses (the apostles) never believed that Jesus is God is a denial of
the plain testimony of their writings in the New Testament.
b. Thus far, I’ve only quoted statements from the gospels. Consider just a few quotes from the Book
of Acts (a record of the apostles’ activities as they went out to told the world what they witnessed)
and the epistles (letters they wrote to Christians who came to faith in Jesus through their efforts).
1. Peter, when preaching to the Gentiles for the first time, stated: There is peace with God through
Jesus Christ, who is Lord (kurios) of all (Acts 10:36, NLT). In his second epistle he referred to
Jesus as: Jesus Christ, our God (theos) and Savior (II Pet 1:2). Peter and the others knew
from the writings of the prophets that there is only on God and Savior (Isa 45:21). To say
otherwise was blasphemy.
2. Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, quotes Almighty God as calling Jesus God: When he
presented his honored Son to the world, God said, ‘Let all the angels of God worship him’…To
the Son he says, ‘Your throne O God, endures forever and ever’ (Heb 1:6-8, NLT).
3. John reported in the Book of Revelation that the Lord (kurios) calls Himself Alpha and Omega
(Greek term meaning the first and the last). Isaiah the prophet also quoted the Lord as calling
Himself the first and the last (Isa 41:4; Isa 44:6; Isa 48:12). Then, John wrote that it was Jesus
(the resurrected Lord) who called Himself Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:11-18; Rev 22:12-13).
2. John wrote his gospel later than Matthew, Mark, or Luke. By the time John wrote false teachings which
denied that Jesus is God, were developing, influencing people, and even infiltrating the church.
a. In the 2nd century these ideas will become known as Gnosticism (a false teaching that has resurfaced
today). We’ll say more about this in next week’s lesson. But note one point as we close.
b. John specifically stated why he wrote his gospel. His purpose was not to repeat what the other
three writers recorded. Over ninety percent of his book is new material.
c. John stated: There are also many other signs and miracles, which Jesus performed in the presence
of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written (recorded) in order that
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that through
believing and cleaving to and trusting in and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His
name [that is, through what He is] (John 20:30-31, Amp). Much more next week!