THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
Matt. 16:13-20
Introduction:
“But who do you say that I am?”
1.
This is the most important question.
Our answer to it determines more than any single factor our
eternity. It is at the foundation of
all Christianity.
2.
Whether or not Jesus Christ is the Son of God--who He claimed to be--is a
significant matter, for it will determine how we are to regard and treat Him.
I. Jesus Makes the Claim to be the Son of God
1. Matt. 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God.” 17 And Jesus
answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal {this} to
you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
2. John 5:18 For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to
kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling
God His own Father, making Himself equal
with God.
3.
Jesus accepted worship:
Matt. 8:2 And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed
down to Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Compare
to Acts 10:25,26 And when it came about that Peter entered,
Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped {him.} But Peter raised
him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am {just} a man.”
4.
Jesus said He was the Almighty
Rev. 1:8
“I am the Alpha
and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.”
5.
Jesus claimed the ability to forgive sins
Matt. 9:1-6
If He were but a man, he could not forgive sins for God
It
matters who Jesus is if you are to have forgiveness of sins
II. Other People Claimed Jesus was God:
1. Prophets made the claim:
Isa. 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And
the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
2. Demons made this claim:
Mark 1:23 And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean
spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with You, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are ‘the Holy One of
God!’
Mark 5:7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What do I have to do
with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment
me!” For He had been saying to him,
“Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
(Legion)
3. The Devil knew who Jesus was:
Matt. 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If
You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4. John knew who Jesus was:
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 came
into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come
into being.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 20:30 Many other signs therefore Jesus also
performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
5. Doubting Thomas came to know Jesus was God:
John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your
finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side;
and be not unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My
Lord and my God!”
6. He is the King of Kings and Lord of lords
Rev. 17:14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and
the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and
those who are with Him {are the} called and chosen and faithful.”
III. Why It Matters who Jesus Really is:
1. If Jesus is not who He says He is, then
none of His promises can be counted true.
a. Matt. 6:33
b. Matt. 7:7,8
c. Matt. 11:28-30
d. John 14:1-3
e. 1 Cor. 15:19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
2. If Jesus is not the Messiah, Son of God, we
are in our sins
John 8:24 AI said therefore to you, that you shall die
in your sins; for unless you believe that I am {He} , you shall die in your
sins.”
Conclusion:
It
matters whether or not we believe.
Whether Jesus is the Son of God is the most important decision you will
ever make. It will affect every aspect
of your life.