The Eternal Son of God

INTRODUCTION Impact Hey everyone, my name is Matt and I’m the Youth Pastor here at Renovation Church. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. I want you to think about the most impactful question someone has ever asked you. Maybe a parent or mentor asked. “what do you want to do when you grow up?” Ladies, maybe it was when your fiancé or husband proposed (we just had one of our youth leaders get asked that amazing question). Maybe it was when a close friend simply asked “how are you really doing…” Religions Great questions can change lives. And although all of those questions are good. The most important question someone can ask themselves is this… “Who is Jesus Christ.” Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar said this: “One of the most certain facts of history is that Jesus was crucified on orders of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate.” Historically, it is clear that Jesus was a real man who was crucified, you won’t find anyone who argues against that. But was he more than that? Other religions: Buddhists say that he is a man who achieved nirvana, but not God. Hindus say that he was a holy man. Others are even willing to say that he was a god, but not THE God. Muslims say he’s a prophet but not as great as Muhammed, and definately not God. Jehovah’s witnesses say that he is a man who has been elevated to a great status, but it is offensive to them to say he is God. The Jews say he was ‘not’ the messiah and ‘not’ the son of God. Atheists say that he was a good, moral teacher, but not God, and still dead. So, who is Jesus Christ? Gospels: This morning, we are starting a new series in the first two chapters of the book of John. And the apostle John is presenting a case, think of a court case, about who Jesus is. And chapters 1 2 comprise John’s opening statements to the jury about who Jesus is.s. John writes his gospel (which is an account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection) after the first 3 were completed: Matthew, Mark, and Luke: Matthew stresses Jesus’ identity as the messiah that the Old Testament promised would come. So he starts where all of you skip, a geneology. But where does he start in the geneology. He starts with Abraham “father Abraham had many sons” (ok). He is stressing the line of Jesus going back to Abraham. He is highlighting Jesus’ identity as the Jewish messiah. Mark is the fast gospel, it’s only 16 chapters long and it hops from one thing to the next because John Mark is pushing the narrative to the cross. To display Jesus as the suffering servant, the one who died in our place. Luke sought to write an orderly account. He is writing to provide a clear and historic order of Jesus’ life. But most importantly, he is highlighting Jesus as the savior for all people. So he also includes a geneology in his account, but he goes all the way back to Adam, not just Abraham, because he is the one who can save all people through faith, not just the Jewish people. And John provides a different angle, he emphasizes that Jesus is the eternal son of GOd. And there is no geneology because God was not born or created. Purpose 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31) John is not trying to pull the rug on you or do a bait and switch. He is bold and to the point: Jesus is the eternal son of God and you can Text: John 1:1 3 (page 723) Preview: As we read, we are going to see 3 truths that John lays out in his opening statement about who Jesus is. BODY I. Jesus is the eternal son of God (v.1 3) A. Exegesis: ‘word’ and ‘beginning’ John knows that the hardest thing for people to believe was not that Jesus was real or that he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. But that he was God. So he gets straight to the point. “In the beginning was the word. What’s the word? Look at verse 2, HE and v.3 HIM. The word is a person and it’s Jesus. I want you to take a look again at verse 1. John writes, “In the beginning”, ‘ev archay.’ Is that familiar? It was to John’s Jewish audience! They have read and heard the story before. In the beginning… (Show parallel passages) God created the heavens and the Earth. John takes this assumption and flips it on its head. In the begginning “was the word” and he’s connecting Jesus with God, before he created time, space, and matter. John is positioning the character of Jesus, before the creation of the world. B. Theology: Trinity This is a key passage for what theologian’s call ‘the trinity’. It’s the belief that the God of the Bible is 1 God, 1 being, that eternally exists as 3 persons. I am stealing this from the late apologist Nabeel Qureshi. (he wrote the amazing book, Seeking Allah: Finding Jesus). But he explains it this way… You and I are all 1 being (what we are: bones, flesh, human), and also 1 person (who we are: Matt). God, is 1 being that eternally exists as 3 persons. This is not tri theism, where they are each a god. But they are fully and completely united and equal as one God, but distinct in persons. If that is difficult to understand, that’s OK, because we can’t fully comprehend our God, but that’s what’s revealed in this book. So this is what John is revealing in his gospel. Jesus IS God, but he was also WITH God (The Father and The Spirit) since before the world began. C. Homiletical: 2 Common objections You know maybe on Thanksgiving, you were sitting at the dinner table or sitting around the TV watching football and you shared with an uncle about this church you’ve started to go to. And you got the response of “oh that God stuff is dumb, if he created everything, than who created God!” or maybe someone said, “Jesus never claimed to be God, stuffy Christians are just saying he’s God when he never intended that.” These are two very common objections to the Christian faith, so how do we respond? What do we say when people make these objections? Objection #1: Who created God? There is a common atheist objection to Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 and it’s this. If God is the creator of the world. Then who created God? And this seems like a ‘got ya’ question. But the atheist, is stealing from the Christian worldview to make this claim. And you can demonstrate that by asking the question back to them: “WHO” created the universe? They claim that it came from nothing, nobody. While Christians believe that a loving, personal God created it. And that God eternally existed in 3 persons. At the same time, at the beginning, God created time, space, and matter and it all came into existence at the same time. The God that created time, space, and matter is outside of and in control of it. John is asserting that Jesus is the uncaused first cause. The answer to the question “Who” created the universe. Objection #2: Jesus never claimed to be God. Another objection by atheists and many other religions is that Jesus never claimed to be God. The disciples and now stuffy Christians are just saying Jesus is God when he never wanted that and never claimed it! John 8:58: “58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Claiming to be the God who appeared to Moses. Who do I say sent me? “I AM has sent you” John 10:30: “30 I and the Father are one.”31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him. No one has a relationship with God like the one Jesus is talking about! So, why are the Jews trying to kill Jesus in these two instances? Because he was claiming to be God, he was a heretic, a blasphemer and he must be put to death!!! The jews start yelling “crucify him! Crucify him!” Unless, he’s telling the truth. What if he is God? Re state main point: So Jesus does claim this title, Jesus is the eternal son of God. II. Jesus is the eternal son of God, who took on the form of a man (v.14) The word became flesh. A. Explanation: “reveal” and “was made” I want us to look at v.14 became = “was made” flesh (egeneto) v. 3 = “were made” (egeneto) bone: “incarnation” The one who made all things, was made flesh and he lived among us. we take this for granted in church, but do you realize how proposterous that is? THE CREATOR, the ONE who spoke time, space, and matter into existence, the one who made all things, was made flesh. The one who created took on the form of his creation. Not created, he’s the eternal uncaused first cause, but he took on our form. B. Application: An understanding God Maybe you believe in Jesus. But you have this view that our God is a distant God, that he can’t possibly understand what you’re going through. He can’t understand the troubles in your job, he can’t understand the pains of losing family members. But Jesus became flesh, he lost loved ones, he was betrayed by friends, he experienced the sorrows of life. Yes, God is all knowing, but even more, he stepped into our sinful world and experienced what we experience so he understands what you’re going through and cares for you. But often times when thinking about God we forget about this… C. MTR: Ladder Illustration If you were to ask a random American on the street, what it means to be a Christian they would probably say… (hoping to work our way up the ladder, to earn our salvation, that God would let us in based on how good WE are) Christianity as described in this book is different. “no one is righteous, not even one for all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” There are not enough good works that we can do, to earn our way into heaven, none. So, what is John saying is that, ‘the word became flesh’. In love, Jesus made his way down the ladder. He came down the ladder to us, when we could not make it to him. So it’s not about doing better, or trying harder, or doing more good than bad, but it’s all about believing in Jesus. And by faith, he gives us his perfection, his holiness, his righteousness so that we can stand before God, not on the basis of our own goodness, but on his goodness. III. Jesus is the eternal son of God, who took on the form of a man, and gives eternal life to those who receive him. (v.10 13) A. Explanation: Born of God. By receiving Jesus, we are welcomed into God’s family. Being “Born of God” is a spiritual birth. We are dead because of our sin, but when we receive Jesus the Godman, we are born of God, we are welcomed into his family. That is an amazing promise. B. Application: Receive or Reject. John is positioning Jesus as a character that either means everything or nothing, but Jesus cannot be your something. The great CS Lewis put it this way: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” Either Jesus is God and he rose from the dead and we need to receive him as Lord. Or we can reject him as a dead liar. But it makes no sense to be somewhere in the middle. Received (believer) Challenge especially pertinent after many of us were with family and friends over Thanksgiving. Do the non believers in your life, have no idea that what you believe is different than them. Your life shows that your faith is moderately important. Please hear me on this, it isn’t enough for the non believers in your life to know that you believe in a God most of the world believe in God. It’s not enough for the non believers in your life to know that you go to church, or are religious. Those are good things, but not enough. Do the people around you know, that Jesus is the eternal son of God, who took on the form of a man, so that by receiving and believing in Jesus, they can have eternal life. Does your life show that your faith is of infinite importance, or that it’s just moderately important. Received (false): Maybe you’re in the moderately important category Maybe you think you’ve received Jesus because you’ve grown up in church and on a survey, you would say “yeah I’m a Christian”. But maybe you haven’t truly received Christ, and your life shows a life of rejection. Even though you say you have received him. That’s my story. I grew up in church, I would have told you I was a Christian, in fact I even debated with friends in college about the existence of God, I was a monotheist, I believed in one God. But my life demonstrated that I was rejecting Christ. And maybe that’s you, and this morning you need to truly receive Christ. You need to turn away from your sin, turn away from the pretending, turn away from keeping Jesus as your something, and belive in Jesus for eternal life. Rejected You walked in here this morning and you don’t believe in Jesus. You have rejected him as a liar. But I’m telling you, Jesus came for you. And I am pleading with you, will you receive him and believe. C. Gospel call Transition: He came down the ladder for you. He came for you. He took on your form. He stood in your place. On the cross he took your sin. your greed, your lying, your lust, your addiction, your hatred, your anger, your pride. Because he wanted you. And you can receive him by believing. And the time is now. Copyright: Matt Lubratt Renovation Church in Blaine, MN You may use this material all you like! We only ask that you do not charge a fee and that you quote the source and not say it is your own.