Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050417.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING IN JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part I: Identifying And Trusting In Jesus As The Eternal Creator God
(John 1:1-3, 14, 17)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Our Christian faith is built on the premise that Jesus Christ is the eternal God Who became flesh; Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:3b ESV "that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord [the Creator God of the Old Testament], except in the Holy Spirit."

However, even some mainline Protestant leaders deny Jesus is God, and others even question or deny He ever existed:

(1) The March 7, 1998 issue of World magazine ran the article, "The immoderator" on page 18 by R. Albert Mohler where the beliefs of Bill Phipps are exposed. Mr. Phipps is the elected moderator of the United Church of Canada who heads the Canadian Congregationalists, Methodists and most of the Canadian Presbyterians, and he has "denied the central doctrines of the Christian faith . . . [of Christ's] virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the existence of heaven and hell, and, most directly, the deity of Christ." Mr. Phipps is cited as having said: "'I don't believe Jesus was God.'" (brackets ours)

(2) Episcopal Bishop John Spong of Newark, New Jersey was reported in the December 1994 Life magazine on page 68 to imply Jesus is not an historical figure; he asserted: "If Paul was going to create a person out of whole cloth, he never would have located him in this scrubby, dirty little Galilean town [of Nazareth]." (brackets ours)

(3) Then, some religions hold Jesus is deity in some sense, but qualify His identity so that He fails to be the eternal Creator God:

(a) For example, Islam holds Christ was a prophet of Allah, but was superseded by Mohammed's teachings and authority, cf. "A catalogue of cults: where they stand on the deity of Christ," by Gary L. Wall, Moody Monthly, July-Aug. 1979, reprint, p. 4.

(b) Then, Jehovah's Witnesses claim "Jesus is a created being, Michael, the first creation of Jehovah . . ." (Ibid.)

(c) Mormons claim Jesus "is a pre-existent spirit, also the Father, one of many gods . . ." (Ibid.)



Well, WAS Jesus Christ an ACTUAL HISTORICAL being, and IF so, IS He the ETERNAL CREATOR God? As our CHRISTIAN FAITH RESTS on the belief He IS the ETERNAL CREATOR GOD come in the FLESH, HOW do we KNOW the claim is TRUE?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Today, even some mainline Protestant leaders claim Jesus was either NOT God or that He NEVER even EXISTED! That bothers me as it counters my faith, so how am I to ANSWER it?"
  1. The Gospel of John that describes the Person and Work of Jesus of Nazareth is a potent record via its tangibly verifiable early origin:
    1. Archaeological evidence reveals John's complete Gospel existed by 90 A. D. like conservative Christian scholars have long claimed:
      1. A copy of John 18:31-32 in John's Gospel (the Rylands fragment) was found in Egypt and dated A. D. 100-150 by the "competent paleographers" C. H. Roberts, H. I. Bell, A. Deissmann, W. H. P. Hatch and F. G. Kenyon (M. F. Unger, Arch. and the N. T., p. 21).
      2. Marchant King (Bibliotheca Sacra [1973] 130:517, p. 35-40) noted this fragment contains an EXACT Alexandrian text type reading , so it must have come from a complete copy of John's Gospel.
      3. This fragment was found in Egypt's "hinterlands", so decades of time were needed for John's complete Gospel to travel from its author to this area; thus, John's complete Gospel was written no later than 90 A. D. like conservative Christian scholars have held, Ibid., King; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., p. 1492.
    2. Well, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the winter of 5-4 B. C. and was crucified April 3, 33 A. D. according to New Testament reckoning in light of secular historical dating (Harold Hoehner, Ph. D., Cambridge University, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, p. 11-142).
    3. Thus, by way of tangible, verifiable evidence, John's complete Gospel existed no later than 57 years after Christ's crucifixion, so its witness about Christ's existence and identity is very early and highly credible!
  2. John's potent Gospel record FRANKLY AFFIRMS Jesus lived on earth after eternally existing as Creator of all that was ever made:
    1. John wrote that Jesus Christ Who is God's "only begotten Son" was "the Word" sent from God to live on this earth, cf. John 1:18, 14.
    2. John then FRANKLY AFFIRMED this "Word" is the Eternal Creator God Who created all that was ever created, John 1:1-3:
      1. Unlike the other New Testament Gospel writers who started their works describing various facets of the earthly birth (Matthew and Luke) or earthly ministry (Mark) of Jesus Christ, John began his Gospel by stating that in the very beginning of beginnings, this Jesus, the "Word", was there, John 1:1a with John 1:14, 18.
      2. Then, John noted Jesus was with God the Father in this very beginning of beginnings, John 1:1b.
      3. Indeed, John claimed Jesus as the "Word" was Almighty God at that beginning of beginnings: (1) Jehovah's Witnesses assert the absence of the Greek article in John 1:1c (that would be translated "the") means John held Jesus "was a god," one of several gods and NOT the ONE Old Testament GOD, cf. Bruce M. Metzger, The Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus Christ, p. 74. (2) Yet, this assertion forces John, an Orthodox Jew, to promote polytheism versus his heritage and (3) opposite what He wrote Jesus said in John 10:30; Ibid., p. 75! (4) Also, the word, "God" in John 1:1c precedes the predicate nominative, "Word" and the article's absence "does not make the predicate indefinite" unless "the context demands it," Ibid. As the context can not uphold polytheism, John must have meant, "The Word was [the One true] God" in John 1:1c.
      4. Lest we assume Jesus Christ came to exist at some time after God the Father had existed, John stated in John 1:2 that the Word, Jesus, was in the beginning along with (pros) the Father.
      5. Finally, lest we think Jesus Christ was somehow a created being as an entity less than God the Father, we note that John stated both in the positive and then in the negative formats that Jesus created all that has ever come into existence, John 1:3: (1) First, John noted Jesus created all things, John 1:3a. (2) Then, lest we readers might misinterpret that statement, John clarified that "without him was not any thing made that was made," John 1:3b! (3) Since it is not logical that a being would create himself, John meant Jesus is the Eternal Creator God Who was NEVER CREATED, and that He has eternally existed along with God the Father!
Application: (1) If we have not yet done so, may be believe on Jesus Christ as personal Savior from sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16. (2) As believers, may we hold firmly to the eternal, full deity of our Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation of our Christian faith, cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3.

Lesson: (1) The EARLIEST WRITTEN RECORD we can VALIDATE on the Person and life of Jesus Christ STARTS OUT FRANKLY stating He LIVED ON EARTH after having ETERNALLY EXISTED as GOD and CO-EXISTING with God the FATHER, and that He CREATED all that has ever been created! (2) Thus, Jesus Christ is to be BELIEVED as the ETERNAL ALMIGHTY CREATOR GOD and MESSIAH who LIVE ON THIS EARTH quite OPPOSITE claims to the CONTRARY by various religions or even mainline Protestant leaders of today, cf. John 20:31.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 One way to verify the identify of Jesus is to check the claims of God (KJV) in the Old Testament with the New Testament claims about Him (as follows):

(1) In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses, "I AM THAT I AM . . . say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Then, in John 8:58-59, Jesus told the Jews, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am," words that led the Jews to take up stones to try kill Him as they felt He was claiming to be their God!

(2) In Deuteronomy 32:4, Moses claimed God "is the Rock," what 1 Corinthians 10:4 claims of Jesus Christ.

(3) In Isaiah 44:6, Israel's God claimed: "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Revelation 1:17-18 shows the risen Jesus claiming: "I am the first and the last."

(4) Isaiah 40:8 teaches Israel's God was the Author of eternal words, a claim made of Jesus in Matthew 24:35.

(5) Jeremiah 31:34 reveals Israel's God could forgive her sins, what Jesus can do according to Acts 5:31 and Luke 5:24.

(6) Psalm 130:7 claims Israel's God was her Redeemer, what Jesus is said to be for the world's peoples in Revelation 5:9.

(7) Genesis 1:1 claims God created the heavens and the earth, something Jesus did according to John 1:3.

(8) Isaiah 45:21-23 claims Israel's God was the only Savior from sin for the world, a claim made about Jesus in 1 John 4:14.

(9) Isaiah 60:20 presents Israel's God as her everlasting Light, a truth claimed by Jesus of Himself in John 8:12.

(10) Genesis 18:25 calls Abraham's God the "Judge of all the earth," a claim repeated of Jesus by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1 where he wrote: "the Lord Jesus Christ . . . shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing . . . "

(11) Isaiah 44:6 shows Israel's God is "the King of Israel," a title Jesus agreed was His in front of Pontius Pilate in Luke 23:3.

(12) Psalm 23:1 shows David called Israel's God his Shepherd, and Hebrews 13:20 calls Jesus "the Great Shepherd of the sheep".

Jesus Christ IS the GOD of the OLD TESTAMENT regardless what other religions or even some Protestant leaders today might claim to the otherwise! May we believe in Him and ASSERT His deity as our Lord and Savior!