Jesus' Passion-True or False
Jesus’ Passion
True or False
April 17th and 18th, 2004
(Hand out in bulletin)
Last week we looked at experiencing the passion and we began on Wednesday night looking at several specific issues. The Wednesday night sessions will continue for at least three more weeks.
Today we are going to look at the passion; true or false.
1 Corinthians 15 New Living
1Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters,* of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. 2 And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
/3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter* and then by the twelve apostles. 6 After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. [1]/
-This basic message of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection is of first importance.
-This is the cornerstone of Christianity. Good principles and following Jesus as a good man and teacher isn’t enough. We have to be changed as He was by being raised from the dead.
-Jesus; HIS LIFE CHANGED HISTORY BUT HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION CHANGED ETERNITY.
1. Jesus is the Son of God-True or False?
Revelation 5
1 And I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and unroll it?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I wept because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne,* has conquered. He is worthy to open the scroll and break its seven seals.”
6 I looked and I saw a Lamb that had been killed but was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits* of God that are sent out into every part of the earth. 7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8 And as he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense—the prayers of God’s people!
9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become God’s kingdom and his priests.
/And they will reign* on the earth.”[2]/
-We have John in heaven and he sees a scroll with writing on both sides.
-This scroll contains the plan of God for mankind.
-In 1962 a Bedouin tribesman found a number some material which included sealed scrolls. One was sealed and after being opened it was found that it was written on March 18th, 335 B.C. It was a legal document about the sale of a slave. (page 284 Zondervan Commentary on Revelation) I have a picture of it in my office.
-The scroll is sealed up. It can only be opened and read by those who are qualified.
-Nobody was found in heaven or on the earth who was qualified.
-One of the elders said wait, there is one qualified. The lion of the tribe of Judah, He can do it.
-Then John saw what looked like a lamb that had been slain. (The lion is a lamb.)
-Of course we know this was Jesus. He was uniquely qualified to open and unseal the purpose and plan for mankind that was sealed up.
-If not for Jesus we would have no future and no hope.
-Why was Jesus qualified?
· The dominion on earth was given to man
· A man had to redeem men but all were sinners and had to die for their own sin
· God said in Eden that the seed of the woman would crush satan’s head
· There could only be a man as mediator between God and man (Job acknowledged that need.)
Job 9:
/“32 “God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. 33 If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none. [3] /
· God couldn’t redeem man as God, He had given the earth to man
-The elder said Jesus is qualified! I agree!
-Let’s see what some people in the Bible said about Jesus’ identity.
-If we were having a trial we would put these people on the stand to see if we could get a consensus.
· Demons:
Matthew 8:
29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you bothering us, Son of God? You have no right to torture us before God’s appointed time!” [4]
· Disciples:
Matthew 14:
33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.[5]
· Jesus’ testimony about Himself
Matthew 26:
Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.”*
[6]
· Roman soldier
Matthew 27:
54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”[7]
· Mark
Mark 1:
Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.*[8]
· The Father
Matthew 3:
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [9]
· Peter
Matthew 16:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, a the Son of the living God.”
[10]
· Paul
Romans 1
3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit a of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God b by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. [11]
-If I were the jury I would say YES HE IS THE SON OF GOD.
2. Jesus is the only way to God-True or False?
-People have a problem with what they call the narrowness of the gospel.
-Tolerance of people is more important than the truth.
-I heard a St. Louis newscaster agreeing with a guest who said the left behind books were anti-.
-There is a pervasive attitude that there is no absolute truth. As long as we sincerely believe that is all that matters.
-Are we going to step into eternity and each have our own universe that we created simply by believing it is there.
Example
I use the example of saying there is going to be a party at a certain place. We don’t need directions we just need to believe that our road is the correct way.
-Being sincere doesn’t make you right.
-This is God’s world. Jesus is God’s Son. There is one way to God.
-Is this exclusive? It would be except this option is offered to everyone.
-I got really tired of creating my own reality. Being God is a big job description.
Acts 4
/12 There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.”[12] /
John 14
/6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [13] /
-Applications are not being accepted for the position of God. We have one.
3. Jesus died for you-True or False?
-Every religion in the world with the exception of Christianity has a system where you work to be saved.
-Only Christianity provides GRACE where the efforts of someone else save you.
2 Corinthians 5
/21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.[14] /
-He didn’t just die for US….He died for YOU.
-The book gives the example of someone with a gift of healing. What if when you healed someone you got what they had. Instead of just getting rid of it, what if you had to take it instead?
-Jesus took you sin and offered you the right to be declared righteous.
-He identified completely with us in our sin so we could be reconciled to God.
-He paid the penalty for my sin and your sin.
3. Jesus is Alive- True or False?
1 Corinthians 15
14/ And if Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.[15] /
Newsweek magazine said;
“The risen Christ is the center of the Christian faith. The mystery without which there would be no church, no hope of eternal life, no living Christ to encounter today. No other historical figure has ever made the claim that He was raised from the dead. It was this appearance of the resurrected Christ that lit the flame of the Christian faith. It wasn’t the morality of the Sermon on the Mount, which enabled Chriostianity to conquer Roman paganism, but it was the belief that Jesus was alive. He’d been raised from the dead.”
-Even those outside the faith recognize that it all comes down to His resurrection.
Romans 1
/4 And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit.* [16] /
-That power is available to help you.
Ephesians 1
/19 I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. [17] /
-What are some of the “proofs” of the resurrection?
· Eyewitness accounts
· Transformed disciples
· Ease of disproof
· Survival of Christianity
· The witness of present day Christians of Jesus living in them
Revelation 1
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man.* He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15 His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.*
/[18]/
My conclusions are:
· HE IS THE SON OF GOD
· HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD
· JESUS DIED FOR YOU
· JESUS IS ALIVE
----
*
1 Corinthians 15:1
Greek brothers; also in 15:31, 50, 58.
*
1 Corinthians 15:5
Greek Cephas.
*
1 Corinthians 15:6
Greek the brothers.
[1]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (1 Co 15:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
*
Revelation 5:5
Greek the root of David.
*
Revelation 5:6
See note on 4:5.
*
Revelation 5:10
Some manuscripts read they are reigning.
[2]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Re 5:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[3]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Job 9:31). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[4]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Mt 8:28). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[5]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Mt 14:32). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
*
Matthew 26:64
See Ps 110:1; Dan 7:13.
[6]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Mt 26:63). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[7]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Mt 27:53). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
*
Mark 1:1
Some manuscripts do not include the Son of God.
[8]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Mk 1:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 3:16). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or Messiah; also in verse 20
[10]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 16:13). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or who as to his spirit
b Or was appointed to be the Son of God with power
[11]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ro 1:3). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[12]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Ac 4:11). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[13]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Jn 14:5). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[14]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (2 Co 5:20). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[15]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (1 Co 15:13). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
*
Romans 1:4
Or the Spirit of holiness.
[16]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Ro 1:3). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[17]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Eph 1:18). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
*
Revelation 1:13
Or one who looked like a man; Greek reads one like a son of man. See Dan 7:13.
*
Revelation 1:18
Greek and Hades.
[18]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Re 1:11). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.