10042015WeCanKnowThatJesusChristIsGodsSonDonRuhl

We Can Know that Jesus Christ Is God’s Son 

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • October 4, In the year of our Lord, 2015

Prelude: 

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? 

Did He possess characteristics that showed Him to be more than a man?

Did those characteristics show Him to be the Son of God?

Yes, He had those characteristics, and

yes, He possessed certain things that showed Him to be the Son of God.

Persuasion: 

If He Is the Son of God, Our Eternity Depends upon Him

7 …to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power… (2Th 1.7–9).

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt 7.21).

Jesus Is the Son of God

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16.13–17).

30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20.30–31).

If the Bible is God’s word, and

if it declares that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God,

then we can know for sure that Jesus is the Son of God.

A Man, and More than a Man

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1Ti 2.5).

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 were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1.1–3).

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1.14).

Many Affirm He Was Good, but Not the Son of God 

That is a contradiction.

If He is not the Son of God, He deceived people into believing it.

Do good men and good teachers deceive people?

Therefore, if He deceived people into believing that He was divine,

He was not a good man nor a good teacher.

He was a liar.

Therefore, each of us must decide:

Was Jesus a liar and a fraud?

Was Jesus the Son of God?

He cannot be both.

Nor can we just ignore this decision.

What His Resurrection Says about Him 

People changed because of His resurrection:

The disciples

Those who crucified Him

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2.41–47).

The church in the first century

Some could have stopped the Movement, but they did not:

The Jewish leaders could have produced His body.

Pilate could have could have produced His body.

Mary could have stopped the crucifixion.

How could she watch Him die so horribly,

if she knew

that Joseph was actually His father,

that she did not conceive by the Holy Spirit?

Now we show His resurrection in baptism

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom 6.3–4).

We die with Jesus,

are buried with Him, and

are raised with Him.

Exhortation: 

He will return,

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matt 25.31–33).

What will you do with Jesus? 

Will you crown Him?

Will you crucify Him?

Pilate asked, “What shall I do with Jesus?” (Matt 27.22). 

When we decide what we will do with Jesus,

He will decide what He will do with us!