Series: Critical Doctrine

2. Series: Critical Doctrine • In the first sermon we looked at the testimonies of the disciples of Christ, who were eye witnesses of the risen Christ, and their proclamations of the Godhood of Jesus Christ. • We also looked at testimony of Jesus Himself who declared Himself to be equal with God, and because of this claim, was officially condemned and crucified. • Today we will be looking at the claims of Jesus Deity made by other eye witnesses including some unexpected ones. • Also we will look at other evidences for His divinity as stated in Scripture.

3. The Confession of Martha • Jn. 11:20-27 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ [or Messiah], the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

4. The Confession of the Centurion • Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” • We have to remember that Centurions were powerful men in the Roman armies, having command over 100 (Century) soldiers. • For him to confess such an honor to Jesus, he would have to have had witnessed some incredibly convincing manifestations.

5. The Faith Confession of the Ethiopian Eunuch • The Story of the Ethiopian Eunuch whom Philip witnessed to of Christ, while the Eunuch was riding in his Chariot: we see the him confess Jesus as the Son of God. • This confession, which the Eunech declared, was the result of a personal revelation he received as a result of understanding the fulfillment of prophecy as written in Isaiah 53. • Ac. 8:36-37 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

6. The Confession of the Angel Gabriel • Luke 1:26-35 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man name Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

7. Demons Knew Jesus was God • Matthew 8:28-29 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no-one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” • Here we see demons declaring that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. • Not that we can accept the testimony of demons, however when their testimony lines up with Scripture elsewhere, it becomes more evidence of His divinity: Jesus is known in hell.

8. Evil Spirits Knew Who He Was • Mark 3:11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” • Again we see evil spirits fall down before His majesty and cry out, out of fear of Him, you are the Son of God. • Evil spirits bowed before Christ, and according to Scripture, Jesus functioned in a ministry of exorcism, setting people free of satanic bondage of all kinds.

9. Satan Knew Who Jesus Was!! • Matthew 4:1-3 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” • Satan knew exactly who Jesus was, but in an effort to place doubts in the mind of the physically restricted Lord Jesus, satan demands proof of His deity, and as a general rule, Jesus never humored such demands.

10. The Reason for the Gospels being Written • John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. • The Gospels of Jesus Christ were written with the express purpose: that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is the Son of God. • Cults everywhere, who deny the deity of Christ, should read that Scripture a few thousand times until it occurs to them that the intent of the New Testament is to declare and make clear to us that Jesus is the Son of God.

11. Believe on the Miracles Themselves • John 14:11 “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” • Christ Himself advised us to look to the miracles themselves as evidence for the claims of His Godhood and Divinity. • Charles Ryrie said, “Jesus had power to forgive sins by healing a man with palsy. The scribes considered this claim to be blasphemy because they recognised that only God can forgive sins. The miracle of healing was done in order to validate Christ’s claim to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12).

12. The Works of Divinity • Calming the Storm • Matthew 8:24-27 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” • Walking on Water • John 6:16-20 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

13. The Works of Divinity • Withering of the Fig Tree • Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig-tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. • Coin in the Mouth of the Fish • Matthew 17:24-27 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes — from their own sons or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

14. The Works of Divinity • Casting out of demons into a herd of pigs • Matthew 8:28-32 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no-one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. • Seeing Nathanael Under a fig tree • John 1:47-49 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

15. His Atonement Power Proves His Deity • So the final proof I will present for Christ’s Godhood is that His blood has the power to atone for the sins of every man and woman on earth. • Romans 4:25 “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” • No mere man has that much authority before the Father in heaven, for all the sins of men to be atoned for by the blood of Christ, Jesus Christ the Messiah had to be God.