[We have studied:

[The Trinity – That there are three persons that compose the one and only God]

[Our Father – One of the three persons in the Godhead.]

[The Holy Spirit – Another person in the Godhead.]

 [Today we will study the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.  Known also as the Word of God.  The Son is not the Father.  The Father is not the Son.  The Son is not the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not the Son.  The Son is one person that the Bible reveals is a part of the God head.] 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is: 

A.     A Special Being (vs 29) [– “Behold . . .” – referring to the uniqueness of our Lord Jesus Christ and recognizing that none before Him nor none after Him could ever compare to Him.  He was absolutely unique.  In discovering His uniqueness we find that Jesus was:] 

1.      A Historical Being [– There are those in our day who have tried to claim that the Lord Jesus Christ was not a real man at all, but that He was a legend created by the Christian Church upon which the Christian faith was built.  Yet there is more empirical historical evidence of the existence, life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ than many other ancient historical figures.  There is:] 

a.       [The Biblical Record (1 Cor 15.4-8; Luke 1.1-4; 1 John 1.1-3) – While most in our day recognize the Bible as a single volume the truth is that the Bible compiles 27 separate New Testament, canonized written works written by at least seven different pen men, over more than 40 years, that were disperse over three continents.  They record many historical incidents that have been confirmed for the time periods they represent and bear the recorded testimonies of literally thousands of eye witnesses that saw and interacted with the Lord Jesus Christ.] 

[Of our Lord’s resurrection alone Scripture records,] 

[1 Corinthians 15:4-8 ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ⁷ After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ⁸ And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ]

[Of his gospel record Luke wrote,] 

[Luke 1:1-4 ¹ Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ² Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; ³ It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. ]

[Those things written in the New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ were recorded and substantiated by eye witnesses in the presence of other eye witnesses.] 

[The Apostle John wrote,] 

[1 John 1:1-3 ¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ² (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) ³ That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. ]

b.      [The Historical Extra Biblical Record – Beside the Biblical record there are many historical evidences of the reality of the life and circumstances surrounding the Lord Jesus Christ.  These include:] 

1.      [Josephous a Jewish/Roman historian [records the resurrection turmoil more than once in his written works.] 

2.      [Tacitus A Roman Historian [ - In his book Annals makes a statement about one he calls Christus that was condemned by Pontius. A clear reference to Jesus.] 

3.      [Suetonius A Roman Historian [- In his work called The Life of Claudius writes about a disturbance at the instigation of Chrestus.  We are not sure what Suetonius is referring to because he wrote after the death and resurrection of Christ, however, some believe this is a clear reference to Christians and Christ.] 

4.      [Pliny c AD 111 A Roman Historian [- in his letter to emperor Trajan, Pliny refers to Christians as those who sing together to Christ as to a God.] 

5.      [The Jewish Rabbinical Evidence - These contain a number of references to Jesus, however these were written a number of centuries after Jesus.  They denied the virgin birth and said Jesus was an illegitimate child.  They tell of his execution but claim that his trial was left open for forty days to give people a chance to present evidence to clear Jesus.  They identified him as Jesus of Nazareth.  They say Jesus practiced sorcery or witchcraft. They say he mocked the wise men of Jerusalem (Pharisees).  They say Jesus disciples healed the sick in his name.  They say he was a false prophet and that he had only five disciples.  They say that Jesus said that he came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it.  All written by those who vehemently hated Jesus, his followers, and anyone who would choose to follow Him.] 

6.      [The Church of Jesus Christ - The physical resurrection is the cardinal pretense of the Body of Christ.  Take away the physical resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Church and the church ceases to exist.  All the religious leaders would have had to have done to end Christianity in the first century, and all that the enemies of our Lord and His Church body would have to do throughout the age would be lay out the body of the Lord Jesus Christ for all to see and Christianity would cease to exist.]   

[But the religious leaders who crucified our Lord could not and they did not lay out the body of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was not dead, He was alive, and physically alive.  Not only was He physically alive but He was physically glorified as well.] 

2.      A Human Being (1 Tim 2.5; Philip 2.8; Rom 5.18-19) [– Having established beyond any reasonable doubt that our Lord Jesus Christ was a real historical being and that the circumstances recorded in the Bible are likely to be accurate and reliable. We now turn to the facts recorded concerning the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We discover and substantiate first that our Lord was without any doubt a Human Being.  Many through the years have tried to argue away the incarnation of our Lord, or the fact that God became a man, because they refuse to believe that any mere human being could ever contain God.  They just refused to believe that a man could be God and still be a man.]

[In considering the Biblical record we discover that Jesus was born to Mary.  Both Matthew and Luke record the lineage of our Lord, which to the average Jew is better than a birth certificate.  Hence our Lord was a man, a human being.] 

[Of our Lord the Bible records,] 

[1 Timothy 2:5 ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;]

[Philippians 2:8 ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ]

[It is important that we recognize that our Lord was a man, a human being.  Why is it important for us to realize that God was incarnate in our Lord Jesus Christ?]

[You see the dominion granted to mankind by God was lost by mankind (Adam and Eve in the garden), hence the penalty must be paid by a man, and the dominion could only be regained by a perfect man, who was the Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote,]

[Romans 5:18-19 ¹⁸ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. ]

[Our Lord Jesus Christ became a man so that He could fully pay the penalty owed for our sins and regain the dominion God granted to mankind which was lost to Satan through mankind’s rebellion, which our Lord regained through Calvary’s Cross.] 

3.      An Honorable Being (John 3.16; 1.12; Luke 1.26-27, 30-35; 1 Pet 1.18-20) [– While we know that our Lord was a Human Being we also understand that He was a unique and honorable being.  The Bible records,] 

[John 3:16 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.]

[Jesus is called the “Only Begotten Son” designating something entirely unique and peculiar to only Him.  Many in our world wrongly refer to each and every human being as a child of God, but the Bible reveals,]

[John 1:12 ¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ]

[Hence, God has revealed that only those who are born again are adopted into the family of our Heavenly Father.  Galatians chapter four reveals that our entrance into this royal family is through the adoption of sons.  Hence, the average human being must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior in order to become a child of God.]

[But this was not the case for the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus was God’s only begotten Son.  While Jesus was born of Marry the Bible records,]

[Luke 1:26-27 ²⁶ And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ²⁷ To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. ]

[Luke 1:30-35 ³⁰ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. ³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. ³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ³⁴ Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? ³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ]

[Dr. M.R. Dehaan, a medical doctor, in his book the Chemistry of the Blood, notes that every human being born into this world receives their first drop of blood from their father.  Hence, every human being who has ever been conceived has received into their veins the corrupt, sinful blood of their distant ancestor Adam.  But our Lord Jesus Christ did not have a natural father, He did not receive Adam’s sinful and corrupt blood, instead Jesus was conceived of His Heavenly Father and had the unique blood of Almighty God flowing through His veins.  Hence the Bible records of Jesus,]

[1 Peter 1:18-20 ¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ]

[Hence we note of our Lord Jesus Christ that He was indeed a special being in that He was a Historical being, He was a Human Being, and He is an Honorable being.  There never has been and never will be another like our Lord Jesus Christ.]

B.     The Supernatural Sovereign (vs 29) [– “. . . The Lamb of God . . .” – There are some who would agree that Jesus must have been a real historical figure, but they would contend that Jesus never claimed to be God and never really did all the things that the Bible said He did.]

[Josh McDowell, in his book, More Than A Carpenter, accurately states that Jesus claims would have made Him one of three things.  Jesus might have been,] 

·        [Liar - If the things He claimed about Himself were not true then Jesus was clearly a liar and should not be followed.] 

·        [Lunatic - If Jesus really believed that the things He was saying about Himself were true and they were not then He would have been a Lunatic and not worthy to be followed.] 

·        [Lord - If Jesus claimed to be God and what He claimed concerning Himself were true and were confirmed then He is truly Lord and King and must be followed.] 

[So the question arises, Did Jesus claim to be God?  If he did is there evidence that what Jesus’ claimed was true?] 

1.      Jesus Claimed to be God (John 5.17-19; 8.57-59; 10.30-33) 

[a.  Jesus said:] 

[John 5:17-18 ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. ¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. ]

[John 8:57-59 ⁵⁷ Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? ⁵⁸ Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. ⁵⁹ Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.]

[John 10:30-33 ³⁰ I and my Father are one. ³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.]

[On each of these occasions Jesus made a statement and then the Jews took up stones to stone Him.  They were not going to stone Jesus because Jesus said He had the essence of God in Him.  These Jews took up stones to stone Jesus because Jesus claimed to be God.] 

[So the answer to our question is an emphatic, Yes!  Jesus claimed to be God.  The next question is, was Jesus God or was He a lunatic?] 

2.      Jesus Had The Characteristics of God (Mark 4.39; Matt 9.5-8; 9.4; John 1.48-50) 

[a.  He was all powerful - Omnipotent.] 

[1)  Jesus sleeping in the boat in the storm (Mark 4.39)] 

[Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ] 

[2)  The sick of the palsy (Matt 9.5-8)] 

[Matthew 9:5-8 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7And he arose, and departed to his house. 8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. ] 

[b.  He was all knowing - Omniscient.] 

[1)  The man with the Palsy (Matt 9.4)] 

[Matthew 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? ] 

[c.  He was all present - Omnipresent.] 

[1)  Philip brings Nathaneel (John 1.48-50)] 

[John 1:48-50 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. ] 

C.     Our Sacrificial Lamb (vs 29; Rom 6.23) [– “. . . Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – Our Lord Jesus Christ who was a unique human being as the only begotten Son of God, and who was the supernatural sovereign in that He was and is Almighty God.  Came into this world to be our Sacrificial Lamb and to take our sins away.  The Bible reveals that,] 

[Romans 6:23 ²³ . . .  the wages of sin is death; . . . ]

[Your sins have built up a heavy toll held against your everlasting soul.  There is a price tag attached to every sin and someone must pay the penalty owed for your sins.  If you pay the penalty yourself then you are lost without hope for the penalty must be paid.  So Jesus became the propitiation for your sins.  He took your penalty for you and paid the sin debt that you owed.  The Bible reveals that,] 

1.      Jesus Was Humiliated For Your Sins (Philip 2.5-11) 

[Philippians 2:5-11 ⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.]

[Jesus left His throne in heaven, humbled Himself in human form.  Was born in a manger, lived a peasants life, was ridiculed, mocked, beaten and crucified and Jesus did it all just for you.] 

2.      Jesus Was Hurt For Your Sins (Isa 53.1-6) 

Isaiah 53:1-6 ¹ Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? ² For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

[Think of the horrible suffering of our Lord and Savior.  He was beaten with rods, buffeted, had thorns pressed and beat into His brow.  He was spit upon, mocked, and whipped with a cat of nine tails that tore the skin and muscle from His body.  He was nailed to a cross, which was dropped into a three or four foot hole and jarred all of His joints out of place and was then left hanging there to die.  He then gave up the ghost and had a spear driven into His side.] 

[All of this horrible suffering was laid upon the innocent Lamb of God who did it all to take away your sins.  That’s how much Jesus loved you.] 

D.    Our Singular Savior (vs 29; John 14.6) [– “. . . Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – There are those in our day that still proclaim that there are many ways that lead to heaven.] 

[Just this last week, on June 23, 2008 CBS News reported that 70% of those they had polled believed that there are many ways to get to heaven.  They reported that “57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.”][http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/23/national/main4202617.shtml]

[Jesus, A Special Being, who was and is our Supernatural Sovereign, and is our Sacrificial Lamb said,]  

[John 14:6 ⁶ . . .  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ]

[There are only two eternal outcomes on the horizon of your life. Almighty God, through His sovereign and predestined plan has decreed that you must choose.  Moses in giving his final speech to the children of Israel just before he died gave these profound words,] 

[Deuteronomy 30:19 ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: ]

[What is your choice?  Will you choose,] 

1.      Condemnation (Rom 6.23) 

[Romans 6:23 ²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ]

2.      Exaltation (Rom 10.9-10) 

[Romans 10:9-10 ⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ] 

CrossRoads Baptist Church, June 29, 2008