We believe Jesus

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Good morning church. I am just going to rearrange some things here now I made a boo boo in the week and I didn't show Kim any difficult words so I I've just done that she did ask me very specifically that if there was anything a little bit trick trickier to let her know and I made that mistake so I apologize if she has to look up there's not too many if you've been traveling along with this you'll know that we're going through our We Believe Series right as a church we're traveling through our church doctrinal statement our statement of beliefs and we're doing this because we acknowledge that at the foundation of every Behavior conversation action and relationship in our lives is a belief set of beliefs that help to form it essentially what we're saying is that what we believe directly impacts who we are what we say and what we do and so as a church we want to Deep dive into what it is that we believe so that we can not only understand our belief but so that we can understand why it is that we do the things that we do because they all stem from this belief and so this morning I want to start with a seemingly very simple question everyone in this room can answer it do you believe in Jesus there we go and overwhelming yes and it might seem like a silly question right because I'm standing here Sunday morning in Kucha Baptist Church it would be a little bit silly if anyone was like ah not sure don't know but I want to suggest that by itself without any followup that question's a little bit problematic why do I say that because a historian atheist Muslim Buddhist Hindu could all say yes I believe in Jesus every single one of those religions can say yes I believe in Jesus see for the historian and the atheists they'll say of course I believe in Jesus there's so much historical documentation that a man named Jesus lived on this Earth around this time he's a historical figure a little bit like Caesar Augustus he's this person this man that lived at a certain time of course I believe in Jesus there's too much evidence not to believe that a man named Jesus lived in this time for to ask a Muslim they'd say yeah I believe in Jesus he's one of the four Great prophets of our religion he's a man fully human that God used and of course he's part of what we believe a Hindu would say yeah Jesus is an example of spirituality he he's a god amongst the very many gods that we believe in and a Buddhist would say I believe in Jesus he was an enlightened man and a wise teacher and yet so often when we get asked when when we tell people hey we're Christian we get asked hey what what does that entail we just say oh we believe in Jesus but don't usually dive too much deeper than that but I want to suggest this morning that we need to follow up that question we need to follow up with not only yes I believe in Jesus but what do you believe about Jesus zali and I have had the privilege of traveling through with a couple the Christianity explained course which is created and and authored by Michael Bennett he does an amazing job and in the first session he makes this great observation he says that every single human has to come to a decision about Jesus everyone has to come to terms with what they believe about Jesus and he says usually they fall into three camps he says you can believe that Jesus is a liar that is that everything that he said while he was on Earth We're not arguing that he lived of course he lived but you can believe that he was a liar that everything he said was a lie and if it's a lie if there's no truth to what he says then you can ignore him second campus he says you can believe that Jesus is a lunatic you can believe that while he was on earth once again there's so much historical documentation a man named Jesus existed you can believe that while he was on Earth he truly believed what he was saying but really there was some screws loose he didn't truly understand what he was saying he didn't truly know what was going on and so he was a lunatic and if that's the case if that's what you believe you can dismiss him means nothing words of lunatic or camp three if Jesus really knew what was going off if his words are true then you can believe that Jesus is Lord and if that's the case then Jesus has Authority and our response is to serve him and worship him would you join me in prayer before we dive into scripture Heavenly Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the way in which you reveal yourself to us we thank you for Jesus and Lord God as we explore what it is we believe about Jesus this morning we just ask that by your Holy Spirit you would be revealing yourself to us Lord God we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen amen section 3.1.3 of the church con stitution which is to say the third part in our statement of beliefs says this we believe the deity and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God the second person in the Holy Trinity if you haven't pieced it together already this morning we're talking about Jesus and I want to make this really really evident I want to highlight it that we need to understand what it is we believe about Jesus because as I was looking through the rest of the St statement of beliefs that we as Kucha Baptists have every single statement that follows this except for one makes reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and so if we don't know what we believe about him then we don't have context for everything else that is to come and yet as I read through the deity and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and the second person in the Trinity I went there's some words that we don't often use there who here is still in high school and thinks they know what deity and Incarnation means I have no hands up that's okay I wouldn't either and so I'm a simple person let's break this down okay I did what any good person who doesn't know what something would do I went on Google and I googled deity and the first thing that pops up is a definition that says a god or goddess but then there's a qualifier with the second one it says in any sort of Faith or religion where there is one God remember last last week we talked about the Holy Trinity David loer took us through that there is one God with three persons so we fall into that category if there's if you believe that there's only one God then deity means the Creator or Supreme Being and so I made up a little bit of a word there to just try and capture some of what we mean and as a characteristic it's godness okay it's it's godness and so then I did the same thing with Incarnation cuz that's another big work word and first thing that pops up when you Google it as well a person who embodies In the Flesh a deity so remember that word d we just discussed God a person who embodies in flesh God and so if we narrow that down quite crudely we get humanness so we get these two things godness and humanness I know godness isn't a word but for the sake of this sermon it is okay and so the really crude Dylan paraphrase is that we as a church believe that the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God the second person in the Holy Trinity is fully God and fully human we're going to break this apart but we're going to kind of work backwards because David loer last week took us through some of this and it's important if you didn't watch it or didn't get there last week can I encourage you after this go home watch the sermon on the Trinity because last week he preached on our statement that the we believe in the existence of one God in three persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and he used this diagram which is really helpful he acknowledged that when it comes to the Trinity that word Trinity is not used explicitly in the Bible but there's this concept that is used over and over again of Father Son and Holy Spirit and yet one God and so he used this to explain the trinity in that we have one God and that God is the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit but the son is not the Holy Spirit or the Father the father is not the son or the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not the father or the son they're three distinct persons and yet one God and he highlighted that there's a mystery to that we can't fully grapple and understand that because God is bigger and more amazing than we can comprehend and so when we come to our statement this morning we we're looking at the sun and we're acknowledging that in light of this belief that there is one God in three persons that Jesus is the son of God and that he is the second person in the Holy Trinity god father son Holy Spirit we're looking at Jesus the son and we might say okay well who is the Son of God last week David ler used this verse from Mark 1:9 to1 which references all three parts of the Trinity says in those days Jesus the son came to Nazareth of Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan and when he came up out of the water immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the spirit second person of the Trinity descending on him like a dove and a voice Came From Heaven the father you are my beloved son with you I am well pleased so capturing this idea of the Holy Trinity we're able to say this morning we're focusing in on Jesus we're focusing in on the second person of this Trinity we're focusing in on the Son of God and that's then where we have to wrestle with these two big words deity and Incarnation not using everyday conversation at least not for me but how do we reconcile all this well very crudely we boiled down Incarnation to a level of humanness and so let's explore that because as humans we're comfortable with human right we we understand what it is to be fleshy creatures with blood and bones so what what is it that makes us human well for us we were all born and if we were born then we all have a family of origin right so let's test this if you've got your Bibles there I'll invite you to open up to Matthew 1 we're not going to read it but the first what is it first 17 chapters of Matthew 1 records in great detail Jesus's family of birth all the way back to Abraham and from Abraham it's not that hard to make the links back to Adam and Eve and so we see that very really Jesus came to this world the same way each of us did he was born into the world and has a human family of origin we see throughout the what's recorded in the four gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John that Jesus experienced the fullness of humanity right who here ever gets hungry yeah depending on how long this sermon goes you're probably going to be hungry in a little while but Jesus experienced hunger he needed food to sustain him and so we see multiple times Jesus sat down with people and ate we see that Jesus got thirsty and so he drank we see that Jesus got tired and so he slept and rested we see that Jesus got hurt and he cried he wept Jesus experienced the fullness of of humanity he was tempted And yet when we remember that definition of incarnation it's not just humanness right the definition said a person who embodies In the Flesh a deity so we're talking about a person who is the embodiment of God and so we have to come to terms with the deity of Jesus we have to realize that he wasn't just a human that God used like Moses or Aaron or any of the prophets he wasn't just a person a human solely human that God used rather he is God and so if we continue past that genealogy in Matthew we see how it is that Jesus came to be born Matthew 1:18 now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way when his mother Mary Had had been betrayed to Joseph before they came together he was found to be uh sorry she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit I don't know about you but I haven't heard of that happening again and her husband Joseph being a man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly but as he considered these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said Joseph son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sin and this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall be called his name Emmanuel which means god with us see Jesus is the only human in all of of History to be born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit there's something different about him and that is his deity while Jesus is fully human we also believe that he is fully God if we turn our attention to the Gospel of John John 1 begins with these words in the beginning the was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God already we're getting flashbacks to that Triune God that that thing where there is one God and yet different persons of the same God the word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God and all things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men the light shines in the darkness and the Darkness has not overcome it if we look down to verse 14 it says and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory glory is the only son from the father full of grace and truth John bore witness about him and cried out this was he of whom I said he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me John declares that Jesus Jus is God he declares that there is a deity to Jesus's person whilst he's fully human he is also fully God and you might be sitting there going well Doney it's all good to tell us what John says about Jesus but people can get it wrong if you weren't hear for Dave Heron's message about the authority of scripture I'd invite you to go back and read that because we believe that scripture is breathed by God that it is Inspire his inspired word and yet let's let's entertain the idea for a moment let's say that John got it wrong what does Jesus say about himself surely if this is his nature surely if he is both human and God he makes some statement about it and so if you've got your Bibles I'll invite you to open up to John chapter 10 verse 24 we see that the Jews gathered around him and said to him how long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ tell us plainly and Jesus answered I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name bear witness about me but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep my sheep hear my voice and I I know them and they follow me I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand my father remember person one of the Trinity one God three persons my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand and here's the statement Jesus says I and the father are one I and the father are one and the Jews they picked up stones again to Stone him and Jesus answer them have I shown you many good works from the father for which of them are you about to Stone me what are you going to kill me for he says and the Jews answered it's not for a good work that we are going to Stone you but for blasphemy because you being a man make yourself God see the Jews were able to see Jesus they were able to touch him to recognize that Jesus was fully human they had seen him eat and sleep and talk and relate like any other human they knew without a shadow of doubt that Jesus was human and Jesus makes this statement they call it blasphemy because he says I am God he says the father and I are one and they go you can't be saying that that's blasphemy and yet verse 37 Jesus says if I'm not doing the work of my father then do not believe me but if I do them even though you do not believe me believe the works that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I am in the father Jesus doesn't back down he says you can only see the works I know that you don't fully understand this but the father is me in me I am in the father there is one God three persons father son Holy Spirit and Jesus by saying this is saying hey I am God I am person two of the Holy Trinity and church if that's the case then there's some implications to Jesus being God right because that means that he didn't just teach words that were nice he taught with authority it means that the words that he said the warnings that he gave the Salvation that he offers they hold some weight and so do we do we Glimpse this authority of Jesus if you move all the way back to the Book of Mark chapter 2 Mark 2: 3-12 says this and they came this is the crowds the people bringing to him a paralytic carried by for men and when they could not get near him because of the crowd they removed the roof above him and they had made an opening they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son your sins are forgiven now some of the scribes who were sitting there questioned this in their heart why does this man speak like that he is blaspheming who can forgive sins but God alone put yourself in that situation the scribes are sitting there they can see Jesus fully human as I am here before you fully human they have seen him eat and sleep and be tired and be sad and they go this human has just done something that only God can do that's blasphemy he cannot forgive sins because only God can forgive sins he doesn't have the authority to do that and yet Jesus says with full confidence son your sins are forgiven and so Jesus perceiving in his spirit that they had questioned within themselves said to them why do you question these things in your heart which is easier to say to the paralytic your sins are forgiven or to say rise take up your bed and walk but that you may know that the son of man has been given Authority has has Authority on Earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic I say to you rise pick up your bed and go home and immediately the paralytic Rose picked up his bed and went out before the allall so that they were all amazed and glorified God saying we've never seen anything like this Jesus goes I know that you don't believe that I'm God I know that you're calling me out for blaspheming I know that you think I know that you know correctly that only God can forgive sins but so you know that I have authority to forgive sins so you know that I am God I am part of the Holy Trinity I'll do something that you can see that you can understand to this paralytic person he says Rise get up and go home we see it all throughout the gospels Jesus has Authority because he is the Son of God he is the second person in the Trinity he is deity and Incarnation he is God in human flesh fully God and fully human our church statement says we believe the de deity and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God the second person in the Holy Trinity and I want to suggest this morning church that's just not foundational to our beliefs at Kucha Baptist that's foundational it's fundamental to the belief of Christians see we highlighted earlier that it's not very hard to believe in Jesus that he was a human when there's so many historical records atheists Muslims anyone can believe that yeah I do a little bit of research this Jesus person this Jesus character he pops up a lot but what do we believe about him that makes him different see if the examples I use the historians the atheists the Muslims the Buddhists they will believe that Jesus is a man they will believe that he is fully human but they will reject his deity and by doing so reject that he is God in human form essentially because of that they believe that Jesus is either a liar or a lunatic Jesus they they'll happily attest yes Jesus lived on this Earth but he had no idea what he was talking about he was a little bit loopy or he just straight up lied and church because they believe that Jesus is a liar or a lunatic they lose the hope that Jesus presents if Jesus is a liar then he has no salvation to offer us if he's a lunatic then nothing he said has any significance for us we're hopeless people of the Hindu religion will believe that yeah Jesus was a God but among many gods they they're very spiritual and so they say yeah Jesus is just one of many and yet by doing so they reject the second part of our statement of beliefs they reject that there is one Triune God they reject that Jesus is the second person of one holy God and by doing so they say Jesus is a liar because Jesus himself said I am the father and the father is me we are in each other there is one God and so by rejecting that they fall into the belief that Jesus is a liar and if he's a liar then they can ignore his teachings his warning and his salvation for the Christian we have to believe that Jesus is the son of God that he's the second person in the Holy Trinity one God three persons and that he is both fully God and fully human as Dave mentioned in the partial spot if Jesus is not fully God then he has no authority to forgive sins and yet when the humans of jesus' time called him out on that he said so that you know that I have this Authority I'll also heal this man this paralytic and if Jesus is not fully human then he has no way to be sympathetic with what we go through he doesn't know Temptation or that but even those who aren't Christians will attest to the fact that a human named Jesus lived and so if we fall into this third category this morning if we truly believe that Jesus is Lord if we truly believe that what Jesus said was true what Jesus said about himself was true then not only does he have an authority but church we should be careful to consider and learn from his teaching we should be careful to respond to that with obedience because if Jesus is truly God in human form then his words have meaning and we should be very careful F to be obedient we should serve him as Lord and savior because that's who he says he is if we believe that Jesus words are true then he is Lord and Savior and so I don't know where you're at this morning I got lots of yeses to the statement do you believe in Jesus but can I encourage you to sit down what do I believe in Jesus if if you're not a Christian here this morning can I invite you to come have a chat with me to with Dave with any one of the leadership here we'd love to tell you about him because ultimately as Michael Bennett says each human has to make a decision not only do you believe in Jesus but what do you believe about Jesus if you believe he's a liar you can ignore him if you believe he's a lunatic you can dismiss him but if you believe believe that what he said is true if you believe that very truly Jesus is God in human form fully God fully human that he is the Son of God and the second person in the Holy Trinity then Jesus is Lord and that changes everything church we have hope we have instruction for how we are to live we have a helper the third person of the Holy Trinity so I want to invite you in your own time whether it be through the song that we're about to sing take some time ask the question what do I believe about Jesus but as a church we believe in the deity and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of God the second person in the Holy Trinity would you join me as we pray Heavenly Father we thank you for Jesus we thank you for the gift of your son Lord God fully God and fully human able to understand and sympathize with our humanness and yet able and authoritive to forgive sins to make a way for us for salvation to save us from our own Rebellion we thank you for Jesus and Lord God I pray for each and every one of us Lord maybe it's not something we've wrestled with in a little while but Lord I pray that over the coming days weeks months Lord that by your Holy Spirit you would prompt us not to be content with yes I believe in Jesus but to dig deeper and ask ourselves what is it that I believe about Jesus is he a liar and a lunatic do I dismiss him or is he truly Lord are words that he said is that which is recorded about him true and if so help us to respond in obedience to Him Father God we thank you for Jesus we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.