The Deity of Christ

Premise:

The object of this sermon is to know the Biblical teaching of the true deity of Christ, to understand the importance of it, and to be thankful for the implications of it.

Opening:

Good-morning Connection Church. I am so happy that you have decided to come and worship Christ with us. It is a beautiful thing to gather together on the Lord’s Day and worship our Lord and Savior.

Introduction of the Concept:

If you have been worshipping with us for a while, you know that I preach in a style that is known as expository preaching. What this means is that I take a passage or book and preach verse by verse through it. I rarely if ever preach topically. However, over these next two weeks, I am taking a break from expository preaching in order to cover a very vital topic before we reach advent and study Luke 1-2.

What topic could be so important that we are taking a break form a study of a book? Well, we are going to be looking very briefly at the study known as Christology. As you may guess from that name, Christology is the study of Christ. Specifically, we are going to be looking in depth at our catechism question of the month. We are on question 24 of the Baptist Catechism. There will be a lot of looking at Scripture all over the Bible. I have included all the references in your handout so that you can continue your study at home, and check my work. Do not merely take my word on any of this. Go to the Word and check what I say. But we will be moving through verses very quickly. With this in mind, let’s look at this question, and then dive into our study of it.

Catechism Question:

Church:

“Q. 24. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ (1Ti 2: 5-6); Who, being the eternal Son of God, became man (Joh 1: 14; Gal 4: 4), and so was and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures, and one person forever (Rom 9: 5; Luk 1: 35; Col 2: 9; Heb 7: 24-25).”

Amen, let’s open again in prayer and then study this most important of doctrines.

Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven, we come to you again and ask for this time. We long to learn more about the truth of who our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is. Lord we thank you for the truth that Christ is our only redeemer. We thank you that He is the eternal Son of God. We thank you that He became a man. We thank you that He continues forever to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person. We thank you for these truths. We thank you that it is because of these truths that we have the hope of salvation. May we take these vital truths to heart and worship you the more full because of them. As we approach thanksgiving, may we truly be thankful for the truth of who you are. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Breakdown of Catechism Question.

Well, I hope we don’t get so deep that your eyes go crossed. Even though the study of Christology is one that we could never exhaust, I hope to give a good outline of the truth of who our Lord is in a simple and understandable way. Notice I did not say easy. You will have to pay close attention. It is not an easy study, but I hope it is simple to understand.

Now with that said, I must open by expressing how much I am leaving out. I am in no way even scratching the surface of this doctrine. But we will hopefully give a good scriptural overview of who Christ is, and then at some later date, perhaps we can come back study more in depth all of these aspects.

But let us take a few minutes in opening to look at our question this morning before we really dive in.

Christ is the Only Redeemer.

Explanation:

The question opens by saying, “The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ.” The meaning of this ought to be clear. There is not other redeemer. No co-redeemer, no partial redemption. If there is any redemption to be found, it is found in Christ Alone. And instantly we ought to prick our ears up. This is the foundational principle behind what is known as Sola Christus. This means that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. But what Scripture is used to back this principle up?

Proof Text:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Transition:

This is the best and most clear passage that can be cited to back this up. So let’s keep moving. We will break down this principle in depth more in a few minutes.

Christ is the Eternal Son of God Become Man.

Explanation:

The next statement of our question is, “Who, being the eternal Son of God, became man” Christ is the eternal son of God. He became man. This is the meat and richness of this question. Christ is the “eternal” son of God. He is not created, nor made, but begotten. He is not the first created being, but is eternal. And this eternal son of God took on flesh. So what verses are cited? Well, you can see them.

Proof Text:

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Gal 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,”

Transition:

Christ is eternally the son of God and became man.

Christ Continues to be God and Man in Two Distinct Natures and One Person Forever.

Explanation:

Finally our question says, “and so was and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures, and one person forever.” This is vital. Christ contains two natures in one person. And He continues to be truly God and truly man forever. The passages going with this are:

Proof Text:

Romans 9:5 “To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Colossians 2:9 “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

Hebrews 7:24-25 “but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Transition:

We will be looking at these and many more passages. But contained within this question are four essential concepts that we will be covering over these next two Sundays.

Four Essential Concepts:

The four essential concepts are as follows: 1. Christ is our only redeemer. 2. Christ is truly God. 3. Christ is truly man. 4. Christ has two natures in one person.

1. Christ is Our Only Redeemer.

2. Christ is Truly God.

3. Christ is Truly Man.

4. Christ, Two Natures in One Person.

Transition:

This morning we will be covering the first two of these essential concepts. Christ is our only redeemer and Christ is truly God. We will spend more time on the second, but the first is not to be passed over. 1. Christ is our only redeemer.

1. Christ is Our Only Redeemer.

Opening Statement:

Understanding that Christ is our only redeemer is central to Christianity. In fact, if you deny that Christ is our redeemer, you cannot by definition be saved. We know that there is no other name under heaven by which you must be saved.

Explanation:

But let’s look at our text included for this principle.

1 Tim 2:5-6 “5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Scripture again affirms here that there is one God. Christ and the Father are not separate gods, but one true God. But this speaks of the roles given. The Father is the judge of all men. And who is our mediator? Who will stand in between us and the Father? Who will pay for our sins? Who will stand betwen us and righteous judgement? There is only one. There is only one mediator, the man Jesus Christ.

Argumentation:

If we are not careful, we may be tempted to think this is so basic that we need not discuss it. We may be tempted to think, “Pastor, we know this. Move on.” First, this is a blessed truth that no Christian ought to ever examine without utter awe and praise. God was under no obligation to give any mediator. We sinned and were all rightly damned under our sins. All true Christians ought to daily wonder at the fact that God has saved you. We were no entitled to any redemption, but were given redemption as a gift of grace. Entitlement is the death of Christian worship.

A Christian cannot be entitled. A Christian is utterly incapable of feeling pride at their salvation. It is impossible for a Christian to say, “I deserve redemption.” Because of this, a Christian can never look at the doctrine of redemption with indifference. If you hear that Christ is our redeemer and we are free of our sins, and you great that with a yawn, I fear for your soul.

But beyond this, we must recognize that there are massive amounts of professing Christians who believe that Christ is not the only mediator. There are masses of professing Christians who believe Christ is only the partial redeemer. Many professing Christians believe that they partner with Christ in redemption. They thing, “Christ did His 99%. Now I must do my 1%.” Heresy. We are not partners with Christ in redemption. Christ is not mostly our mediator. Christ is our only mediator. Christ is our only redeemer. We must know this and we must love this.

There is no other redeemer. Mary is not a co-redemptrix as the Roman Catholics call her. You are not a co-redemptrix. You parents are not co redemptors. There one redeemer. There is one mediator. Christ alone.

Application:

So I put this to you. Are you trusting in Christ plus? What do I mean? Are you trusting in Christ plus anything else to make you right with God? Are you trusting in Christ plus your works? Are you trusting in Christ plus your local priest or pastor? I cannot add anything to your hope of salvation. Do not trust in me. Are you trusting in Christ plus your baptism? Are you trusting in Christ plus Mary or the saints? Mary and the saints were wonderful people. But they are dead and cannot help save you. The only way of salvation has a name. That name is Jesus Christ, the God-Man. He alone is your mediator. He alone is your redeemer. I charge you this morning to abandon hope in plus, and trust in Christ alone. It is not Christ plus anything. It is Christ alone.

Transition:

But let’s move on to or second truth where we will be spending the majority of this morning.

2. Christ is Truly God.

Opening Statement:

We must grasp the true deity of Christ. The deity of Christ is one of the most central and fundamental doctrines of Christianity, for if a person denies the deity of Christ, they are not a Christian. Let me explain.

Explanation:

Jesus can save us because He is God. He can stand in the gap because He is God. More than this, a false Christ cannot save. Let me illustrate:

Visualization:

A false Christ cannot save you. If I have a Spanish friend named Jesus, and I trust in him for the salvation of my soul, am I saved? No, of course not. If I named my dog Jesus and placed the hope of my eternal soul in fido, will I go heaven? No, of course not. In the same manner, if the Jesus you trust in is not the one true Christ of Scripture, your faith is in vain.

Remember, Jesus warned that many would come in His name. This has been true throughout history. There have been many “Jesus’” And many of these false Jesus’ are the included in false religions. John MacArthur says, “All false religions reject the true Jesus Christ of the Bible… That’s what constitutes them as false religions... They all reject the true Christ, but they honor a false Christ.” The Jesus of the New Age is a moral teacher who achieved deity or enlightenment. The Jesus in Islam is a prophet but is not God. The Jesus of Mormonism is the child of the Father and one of the Father’s Spirit wives. He is a separate deity from the Father. The Jesus of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is the spirit brother of Satan, and the same person as Michael the Archangel. To them, Jesus is a created being, not eternal God. Many of the leaders in the Charismatic movement say Jesus is merely another form of the Father, or that Jesus was merely a man who was possessed by the Holy Spirit.

All of these are false Christ’s. These Jesus’ cannot save you. Almost all the ancient heresies the church faced dealt with the deity of the humanity of Christ. And all of these heresies are still alive in the church in some form or other.

Argumentation:

A Christian ought to be able to understand and communicate the doctrine that Jesus is truly God and truly man. And these false doctrines of Christ ought to scare us. Scripture is clear. Paul says in Galatians 1:8 “8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” This is known as Paul’s anathema. The word anathema or accursed means you are damned by God. This literally means that if your present a false Jesus or false way of salvation, you are damned.

And lest we feel too safe, listen to this. According to “The State of Theology” survey this year, professing Christian’s understanding of the deity of Christ is in horrible condition. This is not a fringe mistake only a few make. In this survey, the statement is made, “Jesus was a great teacher, but was not God.” Now, participants can answer strongly agree, agree, not sure, disagree, and strongly disagree. This statement, “Jesus was a great teacher, but was not God,” garnered 53% agreement in the United States. 31% strongly agreed and 22% agreed with this. That means that 55% of Americans believe, as of this year, that Jesus was not God, but merely a moral teacher.

If you filter the results to professing evangelical Christians, the answer is not much better. Among professing Christians, 44% agreed with that statement. 29% of professing Christians strongly agreed that Jesus was not God, but merely a moral teacher, while 15% somewhat agreed. That means that 44% of professing Christians do not believe Jesus is God. This is horrifying, because it means that at least 44% of professing Christians do not believe the central doctrine of Christianity! This means that 44% of professing evangelical Christians are under Paul’s anathema.

We may feel that this is rudimentary, or basic. We may even be in danger of thinking that a sermon like this does not need to be preached in our church. But hear me very clearly. If you get the doctrine of Christ wrong, you get all of Christianity wrong. If you are believing in and worshipping a false Christ, you are damned. We can never proclaim the truth of who Christ is and how it applies to all of life loud enough or often enough.

Transition:

I pray that those numbers are a wake up call. Do we believe the truth of who Christ is as declared in sacred Scripture? Well, let’s go to Scripture and see the biblical doctrine of the deity of Christ. Let’s look at the Scriptural proof of the deity of Christ.

Scriptural Proof of the Deity of Christ:

Explanation:

A work of explanation, we will not even scratch the surface of what Scripture says. This morning we are only looking a few proofs. We are not even touching the works and miracles Jesus did that proved His deity. We are not even touching the fulfilled prophesies that prove Christ is God. We are not even exhaustively covering any of the topics we are covering. We are merely giving a brief overview in an attempt to prove what Scripture says about our great God and savior. I include the references to every verse I quote as well as many I do not quote in this sermon. Go home and study this further.

Transition:

First, let’s look at the pre-existence of Christ.

A. The Pre-existence of Christ:

Explanation:

If Jesus was merely a moral teacher, then His existence began as a baby in Bethlehem. However, as Steven Waterhouse says in His book, Not by Bread Alone, “Scripture is conclusive that Christ did not begin His existence as a baby in Bethlehem.” Jesus did not begin His existence in Bethlehem. He pre-existed this. Scripture drips with reference to this. Jesus himself claims this. Jesus claims repeatedly during His earthly ministry that He has come down from Heaven.

I. Jesus Claims to Have Come Down From Heaven.

Most of these are from John. So my encouragement is for you to go home and read all of the gospel of John. But let’s look at these few verses.

John 6:41-42, “41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?””

John 6:50-51, “50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.””

John 8:23, “23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

John 8:42 “42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

See Also; John 3:13, John 6:38, John 6:58, John 7:28-29.

Transition:

Seems pretty clear that Jesus taught that He had come down from heaven. He did not begin His existence in that manger. He is the eternal Son of God. But it is not just chapters 6-8 of the gospel of John. The book of the Revelation is filled with reference to Jesus being the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.

II. Jesus is the First and the Last.

Jesus is the first, meaning He is before the beginning. Only God can claim to be THE First. Jesus is also the Last. Clearly this is speaking of the eternal nature of Christ. And the Revelation opens and closes with this admonition.

Revelation 1:8, “8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””

Revelation 22:13, “13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.””

See Also; Revelation 1:17, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 21:6.

Transition:

But it’s not just the Revelation. What about other references to the pre-existence of Christ?

III. Other References to the Pre-Existence of Christ.

Here is a microscopic sampling of verses speaking to Christ existing before His birth. All of these speak to the eternal nature of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

John 8:58 “58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””

This one is central. What did God tell Abraham in the wilderness? Abraham encountered God in the burning bush and Abraham asked God what His name was. What was God’s answer to Abraham? I AM or YAHWEH. So what did Jesus say when the Jews in the temple were questioning Him? he said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” This was no mistake. The Jews did not use the phrase I am. It was not spoken for fear of committing blasphemy. They especially never said it alone in reference to themselves. This is why, the very next verse says, John 8:59 “59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” The Jews knew Jesus had just claimed to be God. But our emphasis here is that Jesus is speaking not just of being God, but of being eternal. This is one worth memorizing. Whenever someone says, “But Jesus never claimed to be God.” Whip this reference out of your back pocket.

Colossians 1:16-17 “16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Hang on, if Jesus made all things, then could any created thing come from anywhere else? No! This verse is clearly saying that Jesus is not a created being but THE Creator. ALL things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made. This puts to death the idea that Jesus is the brother of Satan and is merely Michael the angel. Who created the spiritual beings according to this passage? Jesus. He made EVERYTHING. And He is before ALL THINGS. And ALL THINGS hold together in Him. That is pretty inclusive if you ask me.

Hebrews 1:8-10 “8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;”

How long in Christ’s throne for? Forever. Who laid the foundations of the earth? Who’s hands made the wondrous works of the heavens? It is all by and for Christ. Period. He is before all things. He made all things. He is eternal and forever amen.

See Also; Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2, John 1:1-3.

Transition:

So there we see that Christ was there before in eternity past when there was only God. But what else does Scripture say? Well, a good place to look next is at all the references where Christ is directly called God. Seems like a good place to start.

B. Christ Directly Called God.

Again, this is only a small sampling. But it is more than enough.

Psalm 110:1 “1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.””

This is the most quoted verse in the Bible, and it always refers to Christ. Literally this verse says, YAHWEH says to my Adonai. Jesus Himself points out in Matthew 22:45 that King David says this Adonai is His Lord. Jesus attributes this to Himself. YAHWEH said to Christ to sit at His right Hand. Why? Because Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Beyond this, whenever the pair of YAHWEH and Adonai are used in the same sentence, it is referring to God. Psalm 8 is great example of this.

John 8:58 “58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””

As we talked about earlier, Jesus is using the divine name for Himself. Clearly He is claiming to be the I AM that was before Abraham.

Romans 9:5 “5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

Paul is speaking of the Jews here. From them came Christ. Jesus was born as a Jew. But who does Paul say Jesus is? God over all, blessed forever. Amen and Amen.

Col 1:15a “15 He is the image of the invisible God,”

That word image does not mean picture or copy in the sense of different but similar. It means an exact imprint. It is from this passage we get the language that Jesus is of the same substance as the Father. Jesus is the exact imprint of God.

2 Peter 1:1 “1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”

Who does Peter say is our God and Savior? Jesus Christ. Can’t wiggle around this one.

Isaiah 9:6 “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Who does Isaiah say the messiah will be? Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is Mighty God.

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Again, Jesus, the Word, the divine Logos, is shown to be there in the beginning. And look at the phrasing. The Word, Christ, was with God. Okay, clearly the language speaks of a distinction. The Word and God here are separate. And yet, John immediately says, The Word was God. So the Word was there with God and the Word was God. Verse 18 is the same.

John 1:18 “18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

No one has seen God. Okay, makes sense. However, John says that the only God, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known. Wait, the Father is God. Yes. So how can the only God who is at God’s side, make God known. This is only coherent in view of the Trinity. God the Son, who at the side of God the Father has made the Father known to us, for no one can see the Father.

John 20:28 “28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!””

My prayer is that we all echo Thomas’s confession of Christ. Christ is our Lord and our God.

Acts 20:28 “28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Who obtained the church with His own blood? God. Who obtained the church His own blood? Christ. They are the same. God the Son, Jesus Christ shed His blood for us.

Col 2:9 “9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

Christ contains the whole fulness of deity bodily. Christ is truly God and truly man.

Titus 2:13, “13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

Again, Jesus is called our God and Savior. Amen and Amen.

Hebrews 1:3 “3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Christ is the exact imprint of God’s nature. Christ upholds the universe by the Word f His power. Christ payed for sins. Christ is seated on High. Christ is our God and our King. Amen and Amen.

See Also; Is 7:14, Matt 1:23, Jeremiah 23:5-6, John 5:18, John 10:30, John 14:9, Acts 16:31-34, 2 Cor 4:4, Phil 2:5-8, Hebrews 3:4, 2 Peter 2:20, 1 John 5:20.

Transition:

Well, what about times where the Old Testament is referring to God and is quoted as referring to Christ? That seems like a good place to go next.

C. The Old Testament Referring to God Quoted as Referring to Christ.

Again, I am not even touching the hundreds, possibly thousands of prophesies Christ obviously fulfilled, proving Himself to be God. This is just a few passages where the Old Testament is clearly speaking of God, and then is quoted in the New Testament as referring to Christ.

Isaiah 7:14 “14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

This is a familiar passage, especially as we approach Advent.

Matthew 1:23, “23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”

Matthew explains what Immanuel means. What does it mean? God with us. Who is with us? God. Amen and Amen. In Christ, God is with us.

Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple.2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.”

This is vital. We all ought to know this story. Isaiah is caught up into heaven and sees God seated on the throne. And here the divine name of YAHWEH is used. YAHWEH is seated on the throne. So what does John say about this?

John 12:41-42 “41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. (Christ) 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;”

John says that Jesus was the one Isaiah saw seated on the throne. Remember, no one can see the Father and live. So how did Isaiah live? John says, Isaiah say YAHWEH, God the Son, Jesus Christ, seated on the throne. Now go home and read the whole of Isaiah 6. Isaiah is seeing Jesus.

See Also; Isaiah 40:3/Luke 1:17. Zech 12:10/Rev 1:7. Isaiah 8:13-14/1 Peter 2:7-8.

This is a small sampling of the Scriptural proof of the deity of Christ. But suffice it to say, that Scripture teaches the Jesus Christ is truly God. It is undeniable that the sacred Scriptures teach that Jesus is truly God. To deny this is betray either ignorance, or wickedness.

Illustration: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. C.S. Lewis

It is utterly undeniable that Scripture affirms the deity of Christ. Beyond this, it is utterly undeniable that Jesus Himself taught His deity. I have attempted to highlight this. And the reason I have done this is to bring up an old argument from C.S. Lewis.

In his wonderful work, Mere Christianity, Lewis makes an argument for the deity of Christ. His argument is that there are one of three possibilities. Paraphrasing, either Christ is a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. After examining what Jesus said those are the options before us. Listen to Lewis’ own words.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”- C.S. Lewis.

We cannot read what Jesus said and say the utterly foolish thing, “Jesus was a moral teacher, but was not God.” Jesus is obviously not a lunatic either. It is obvious from reading any of His teachings that He possessed sound mental faculties and incredible wisdom. He also was not a liar. Everything He said is as obviously true as all truth. One cannot deny His mental soundness, wisdom, and truthfulness. This leaves us with one option. Christ is exactly who He and all Scripture claims Him to be. Fall down before Him as Lord of all. For that is exactly who He is. We must all fall on our knees before Him and cry out with Saint Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”

Argumentation: Implications of the Deity of Christ.

And this is good news. Jesus is truly God. And because Christ is God there are several implications.

Because Christ is God...

1. He is Worthy of our Worship.

Because Christ is God, He is worthy of our worship. It is right and good that we are here to worship Him. If He was not God, it would be blasphemy to worship Him. But because He is God, it is right to worship Him. This is why we see in Scripture, Jesus accepts worship. This means we must come together and worship Him. It means that He is center of what we are doing this morning. It means that this service is not about you. It is not about what you want or what you like. It is all about Christ. He is worthy of our worship, and therefore we are obligated to give Him worship. Remember, before Him, every knee will bow in worship. You will either bow willingly in love, or you will bow at judgement day after being crushed. Christ will be worshipped, for He is the only worthy object of worship.

2. He is Lord of All.

Because Christ is God, He is Lord of all. Christ has all authority. There is no authority outside of Him. He is the Lord. He is God. He made all, He owns all. He is Lord. Bow to Him as Lord. Love Him as Lord.

3. He is Eternal King.

Because Christ is God, He is the Eternal King. His throne is forever. His Kingdom will never end. He is the King. Bow to Him as King. Christ is King. Let all earthly rulers bow to the one true King. Amen and amen.

4. He is to be Obeyed.

Because Christ is God, He is to be obeyed. Jesus is not just a moral teacher who gives good advice. Christ is God who gives commands. Bow to Him as God. Obey Christ. As Psalm 2 says, Kiss ye the Son, lest He be angry. Christ is God. Obey Him.

5. He is the Promised Messiah.

Because Christ is God, He is the promised Messiah. God promised to send one to save His people from their sins. Christ is God in the flesh who came. He is the fulfilment of the messianic promise. He is the promised savior. Bow to Him as Messiah.

6. He Can Make Payment For Our Sins.

Because Christ is God, He can make payment for our sins. No mere man could atone for sins beyond his own. But because Christ is God, His death is infinitely valuable. He is able to make atonement for our sins. He is our sacrificial Lamb and He is the only Lamb who could bear the wrath of God on our behalf because He is God. Our debt was owed to God and only God could bear the payment. So God stepped in to pay our debt on our behalf.

7. He Can Stand in the Gap Between the Father and Us.

Because Christ is truly man and truly God, He can stand as our mediator. He can stand in the gap between the Father and us. Because He is man, He can stand in our place. Because He is God, He can stand before God on our behalf. It is as Job said about His sins in Job 9:33-34 “33 There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me.” Jesus is this arbiter precisely because He is God. Bow before Him as God and redeemer and mediator.

Transition:

I think the application of this truth is simple. Be thankful for the deity of Christ and bow before Him as God.

Application: Be Thankful for the Deity of Christ and bow before Him as God.

1. Be Thankful for the Deity of Christ.

If Christ is not eternal God, we have no redemption. But because Christ is God, we have forgiveness of sins and unity with Him. We are bought with a price. And that price is the blood of God the Son. This is beyond reason to be thankful. As you go into this week to celebrate thanksgiving, meditate and be thankful that Jesus Christ is eternal God.

2. Bow before Him as God.

Christ is God. Bow before Him. Worship Him. He is God and He is worthy of our worship. In fact, His deity demands our worship. Know the truth of who Christ is, eternal God, and worship Him. He is our Lord and our God. Amen and Amen.

Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Closing Benediction:

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Closing Doxology: