Pulpit Today Sermon
Robert D. Pace
Teaching Outline
The nature of Jesus Christ has been debated for centuries. Was Jesus all man and none God? Was Jesus all God who only appeared human? Or, was Jesus 50% human and 50% divine? Here is what the Bible says:
1. Jesus was more than a man!
A. Jesus was fully man. Peter referred to Christ as: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him” (Acts 2:22). The apostle Paul wrote, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
B. Jesus was fully God. Colossians 2:9 says: “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (NIV). Isaiah 9:6 says, “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The mystery of the incarnation is perplexing, if not unfathomable. Scripture attests to Christ’s humanity and divinity and then leaves it to man to unravel. It is no easier to comprehend than is the nature of God the Father.
2. Jesus claimed to be God
Although Jesus never said out-right, “I am God,” He furnished evidence of the fact:
A. He referred to Himself with the divine title “I am,” just as Jehovah had revealed Himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14).
B. He forgave the sins of people (Matthew 9:6), which is something only God can do.
C. While Scripture forbids worshiping anyone but God (Exodus 20:3–4; Luke 4:8), Jesus accepted worship from both men and angels (Matthew 2:2–11; 14:33; John 9:35-38; Hebrews 1:6).
3. The Bible ascribes divine titles to Jesus Christ
Jesus and other writers of Scripture asserted that Jesus was:
A. The Son of God,
B. The Messiah (John 4)
C. The Savior of the world (1 John 4:14)
D. The Word of God (John 1:1)
E. The “Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8)
F. The sovereign Judge (Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
G. The “Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25)
These are titles that no other man of Scripture dared to claim. And the chief proof that that validated these titles came 3 days after His crucifixion when God raised Him from the dead!
4. The Bible assigns personal attributes of God to Jesus
The Bible shows that Jesus, like Jehovah, possesses incommunicable attributes:
A. The Bible declares Jesus to be omniscient (Matthew 9:4; John 2:24, 25; Acts 1:24)
B He is omnipresence (Matthew 28:20; Ephesians 1:23)
C. He is omnipotent (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 1:8)
D. He is inherently holy (Isaiah 8:13; Luke 1:35; John 6:69; Hebrews 7:26)
E. His is life (John 1:4; 14:6)
F. He is immutable/self-existent (John 8:58; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8; Revelation 21:6)
5. The Bible ascribes the works of God to Jesus
A. The New Testament writers affirmed that Christ created the world (John 1:3, 10)
B. He possesses power to uphold the world (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3)
C. He raises the dead (John 11:25-26).
D. Jesus is the Judge of the world (2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:1-5)
Each work can only be executed by God.
6. The Bible predicted the coming of Jesus
The Old Testament writings ended 400 years prior to Christ’s birth. From the Old Testament, the Prophets issued 60 prophecies that would identify man’s Messiah. When these prophecies are examined, they form a fingerprint that only the Messiah could match. These prophecies, fulfilled by Jesus Christ, left evidence that He was the Messiah!
A. Isaiah 7:14 said the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23)
B. Micah 5:2 pinpointed the exact place of His birth—Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-6)
C. Moses predicted that His ancestry would descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Psalms and the Prophets affirmed Moses’ prophecy and added that the Messiah would proceed from the house of David. In the New Testament Matthew and Luke validated the prophecies of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets.
D. Psalms foretold a detailed account of Christ’s betrayal and how false witnesses would rise against Him. It predicted the Messiah’s death would include being scarred in His hands and feet. (A remarkable prophecy inasmuch as crucifixion was unknown until the Romans invented it hundreds of years after the Psalmist’s prophecies.)
E. The Old Testament spoke of the Messiah’s resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10)
7. Jesus is greater than all!
Jesus was born of a virgin—completely unique to all other births. He lived without the moral deficiency of sinning, misspeaking, or erring at any point. He worked miracles, opened blind eyes, raised the dead, walked on water, and performed more wonders than anyone in the Bible. Unlike any other man, Jesus promised to rise from the grave 3 days after His death. History affirms that He fulfilled this promise and also presented Himself to over 500 people. With Jesus fulfilling scores of Old Testament prophecies that would identify the Messiah there never has been, nor will ever be, anyone greater than Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God!
** You may view a fascinating 5-minute video that affirms the divine nature of Christ by visiting the Resource page.