Jesus is Lord

Reading…

  • But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18

Introduction…

  • The day and age we are living in what is referred to in Scripture as the “Last days”… 2 Thessalonians 2:3
    • I say this because one of the signs of the times referred to in Scripture is what they call apostasy. Or falling away.
    • Apostasy is the abandonment or renunciation, or rebellion against the truth as recorded in God’s word the Bible.
      • This apostasy might be a minor deflection to start with but with time it grows into rebellion…
    • Paul writing to Timothy says…
      • Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits ad doctrines of demons… 1 Timothy 4:1
      • For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… they will turn their ears away from truth and be turned aside to fables… 2 Timothy 4:3-4
    • That is exactly where we find ourselves today…
      • We find in the universal church today 3 kinds of apostasy…
        • Moral apostasy
          • There is an acceptance of sinful practices in the church
            • A new study shows British people no longer see euthanasia, pornography, drugs, homosexuality or abortion as immoral
            • The megachurches who are under the spotlight fail in 2 common areas… money laundering and sexual sin.
        • Theological apostasy…
          • Many churches today do not hold to the…
            • Deity of Jesus
            • Inerrancy of the Bible
            • The resurrection of Jesus from the grave
            • Exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ alone
            • The reality of Hell
            • The second coming of the Lord Jesus.
          • Some are calling for certain passages of the bible to be removed in order to accommodate today’s societal norms.
          • Pope Francis recently told a class of Christian high school students that…
            • They must never try to convert others to Christianity
            • That all people of other faiths are also children of God
            • True disciples of Jesus do not proselytize… if they do they are not true disciples.
        • Pharisaical apostasy…
          • Instead of the simple gospel they teach a massively complicated theology that only they can understand
          • Some seminaries are more interested in scholarships than sound doctrine
          • Legalism and disputes are common.
          • Works are added into the mix as a condition of salvation.
    • To this Peter calls us to…
      • Beware lest you also fall from your steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked… Peter 3:17-18
      • (Beware – often create incorrect expectations that leads to denials)
  • So the purpose of the next 2 weeks is to teach/remind you of the truth about Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour…
    • Whenever we enter into any agreement with a party, we must ensure we understand the terms and conditions.
      • If we do not adhere to these T’s and C’s then the relationship breaks down.
    • The day we enter into a relationship with Jesus we need to understand what we are letting ourselves in for…
      • And in order to understand this better we need to start with three important titles used concerning Jesus.
      • We need to be very clear in our understanding of these titles as they spell out the terms and conditions.

Titles given to Jesus…

  • The Saviour…
    • All of us generally refer to Jesus as our Saviour…
      • Which is what He is…
    • At his conception his mother received instruction from the lord God to call his name Jesus…
      • For, they said, He shall save his people from their sins… Matthew 1:21
    • The Hebrew word (soter) for Jesus means… Saviour or deliverer…
      • And it tells us what his purpose in coming to earth is…
        • It is to deliver us from sin.
        • For the Son has come into the world to seek and save that which was lost… Luke 19:10
    • So Paul preaching in Pisidia Antioch says…
      • God has bought to Israel the Saviour Jesus as promised… Acts 13:23
        • By the prophets in the Old Testament
      • So his name is Jesus and his title is Saviour.
        • The name identifies the person and the title the purpose.
      • And that is true and sound theology…
        • Covered in both Old and New Testaments.
      • So we correctly claim Jesus as our Saviour
        • Because in accordance with the message preached I have confessed my sin and He is faithful and just to forgive… 1 John 1:9
          • And now I am heaven bound.
  • The Son of God…
    • In John’s first epistle we read…
      • Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God… 1 John 4:15
      • He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God has not life… 1 John 5:12
    • Jesus speaking about the Son of God says to Nicodemus… John 3:18
      • Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in Him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
    • This is all very exclusive and at the same time inclusive…
      • Exclusive in that there is only one Son of God
      • Inclusive in that whoever believes in the Son is included.
        • All lives matter to Jesus
    • Included were…
      • Nathanael… John 1:49
        • Confesses that Jesus is the Son of God… the king of Israel…
      • Martha confesses… John 11:27
        • I believe that you are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of God who comes into the world (As promised)
    • Excluded are…
      • All who reject Jesus and do not believe His word… John 12:48
      • That very word, says Jesus, will condemn them…
    • John in all his writings makes it very clear…
      • These things were written that you might know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in his name… John 20:31
    • One cannot possibly read John’s Gospel or his epistles and not understand that being a Christian is not just a simple confession of sin but a confession that Jesus is the Son of God. That God works exclusively though the Son.
    • It is interesting to track the conversion of Paul as he is confronted by the great light of God on the road to Damascus…
      • Who are you Lord… Kurios… Supreme authority… Almighty God…
        • I am Jesus… (to the title “Lord” he adds his name – Jesus)
      • Come to Acts 9:20 which says…
        • And immediately Paul began to teach in the synagogue that Jesus is the Son of God…
      • So Paul, along with John, teaches the importance of confessing Jesus to be the Son of God…
    • Can you see that salvation is not just a quick prayer of forgiveness…
      • So that you can enjoy ease of life in eternity…
      • (confession to a priest is of no use)
    • It is a belief in who Jesus is… Son of God…
      • Three times the curtain of heaven is drawn aside and the voice of God is heard…
        • At the baptism of Jesus…
        • At the transfiguration on the mount…
        • And at the conversion of Paul…
      • Each time the deity of Jesus is established
    • The greatest evidence of his Sonship lies in his resurrection…
      • Declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection from the dead… Romans 1:4
    • He can only forgive sin and be our Saviour because of who He is…
      • The teachers of the Law accused Jesus of blasphemy…
        • Who can forgive sins but God alone… Mark 2:7
      • We need to understand that He is the promised Son of Isaiah 7:14 and Philippians 2
        • The God who laid aside his eternal glory, to take on human likeness, becoming a man, becoming obedient to the most humiliating and cruel death thus paying the price for our sin…
        • But… Declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection from the dead… Romans 1:4
    • Do we get it…
      • He is your Saviour only because He is the Son of God
      • And we are included only if we believe in Him.
  • Jesus the Christ/Messiah… Anointed One…
    • This brings us to the third title… Christ.
      • The Hebrew word is Messiah... the Greek equivalent is Christ…
      • Both of these refer to the Anointed one…
        • Prophets, priests and kings were all anointed to their position.
    • The Jews were looking for a king or deliverer who would secure for them relief from the tyranny of Rome.
    • God had made a promise to David 970 years before this… He promised…
      • That He would establish David’s house and kingdom forever
      • He would be a father to the king and the king would be his son
      • His love for the king would endure forever… 2 Samuel 7:11-16
    • As great as Solomon was, the fulfillment of these promises are only fully met in Jesus the Messiah/Christ… God’s anointed one.
      • The proof lies in the words of Paul…
        • Regarding God’s son… who as to nature was a descendant of David, who through the Spirit of Holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by the resurrection from the dead… Romans 1:4
        • You get it…
          • If Jesus was not the promised son, Messiah, why would God raise him from the dead.
      • Peter deals with this promise in Acts 2:31-34 where he speaks of Christ’s death, resurrection and exaltation…
        • And he concludes that Jesus has been made Lord and Christ.
    • So we have to believe in Jesus resurrection as the final proof that Jesus is Lord and Christ.

Conclusion…

  • So let us attempt to tie these truths together…
    • Son of God…
      • Pre-existent with God before creation… John 1:1-2
      • Creator of all things… John 1:3
      • The ultimate proof of His Sonship is found when God raises him from the dead as promised.
    • Christ/Messiah
      • In keeping with God’s promises He lays aside his glory for a short period and takes on the form of man
        • God announces Him as “Son in whom I am well pleased”
        • Hear or listen to him (for He is truth)
      • His purpose is to seek and save the lost
        • Which He does as He dies on Calvary’s cross
      • And he returns to the Father having been given a name that is above every other name.
    • Saviour…
      • Because of his deity and death for sin, He is able to save us from the consequences of our sin and so become our Saviour
      • But we must acknowledge Him as Son of God and Christ.
    • Any other teaching concerning Jesus is apostasy.
  • Beware apostasy…
    • There are numerous warnings in Scripture about apostasy…
      • There are many so-called Christian churches today, which include in their teachings things that are not true.
        • Mormons and Jehovah’s witnesses teach that Jesus is a lesser god.
        • Some mega church evangelicals/televangelists do not hold to the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus alone
        • Some mainline churches teach that you are brought into the family of God by baptism
        • Some teach grace alone is not sufficient, we must add some works
        • Many do not believe that the Bible is God’s inerrant Word to us.
      • At Medway we believe that Jesus is…
        • The only and beloved Son of God
        • The promised Messiah/Christ
        • Saviour of whoever believes in Him
        • Next week we go a step further and discuss the Lordship of Jesus and its implications for me.
      • Question…
        • What do you believe…