Sermon Tone Analysis

This sermon is part of the Gospel Shaped Church Curriculum created by the Gospel Coalition.

Information about it can be found at http://gsc.thegospelcoalition.org or www.gospelshapedchurch.org

-------------------------------

HE IS GOD IN THE FLESH

We can not and do not teach that there is more than one God.

Everyone being that is called a God (big G) or a god (little g) is either a real God or a fake god.

A true God or a false god.

And the Holy Scriptures teach us that there has always been only one God and there always will be only one God.

The Old Testament writers affirm that there is only one God.

The most well known verse to the nation of Israel.

I want you to notice how all these verses do not just say God but also Lord, which means master.

God is our Lord, He is our Master.

The prophet Isaiah who prophesies the coming of Christ is very clear that there is only one God.

And not only that there is only one God, but also that that there will never be another God.

The New Testament writers also affirm that there is only one God.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the difference between true Gods and false gods and affirmed that there is one God.

And notice also how in the New Testament Jesus is referred to as our Lord, which is our Master.

To the Romans Paul said:

To the church at Ephesus he wrote

and to Timothy he wrote

The Old Testament affirms there is a plurality to God.

Singular nouns use singular verbs and plural nouns use plural verbs, for example.

I have several pens up here, let’s say that they are all out of ink.

I can say, “This pen is out of ink.”

And I can say, “These pens are out of ink.”

It would be incorrect for me to say, “These pens is out of ink,” or to say, “This pen are out of ink.”

Hebrew is the same way, singular subject gets a singular verb.

Plural subjects get plural verbs.

Except when talking about God.

God is referenced as a plural subject who gets singular verbs.

Isn’t that interesting?

God is in the plural

So if elohim is plural which would literally be “gods” then how do we know it shouldn’t say “In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth” and therefore teach poly-theism.

The reason we know is because “bara” (created)is singular.

created is in the singular

“in our image” — “in his own image,” “in the image of God”

Here in

Psalm 45

we see the Psalmist speaking to God as a King saying, “Your throne, God, is forever and ever;” and then a strange wording in the next verse as if the Psalmist is talking to God and saying that His God has anointed him as King.

It seems confusing but tell me, who is this verse speaking about?

God right?

This will become more clear in the next verse.

The New Testament affirms that Jesus is God.

The author of Hebrews tells us that this verse is spoken by The Holy Spirit of God about Jesus.

and of course you have the most obvious verses

God created the heavens and the earth and the Old Testament says God created everything with his own hands and by himself.

but Jn1.1-3 says that all things were created through Jesus, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

and Colossians says the same thing

“God’s nature” “tēs theotētos” which is “God’s divinity”

And Revelation.

Who is this verse referring to?

let’s keep reading

And who is speaking in the next two verses?

Let’s keep reading

Who is coming soon?

— Come Lord Jesus!So when verse 12 says Look, I am coming soon, who said that? — Our Lord Jesus! the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

And we could go on and on about how every time anyone worships anyone besides God the bible clearly and emphatically condemns them except when people worship Jesus.

Over and over again we see people being rebuked for trying to worship angels and idols and when Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him, Jesus said we are to worship only God.

But when ever anyone is mentioned as worshiping Jesus, they are never ever rebuked.

It is important to understand that God is not a man that He should be understood as we are.

Who defines who and what God can be?

Who defines what God can be like?

Who defines what God can and can not do?

We can not be in more than one place at one time, God can.

We can not give complete focus to two different people talking to us at the same time but God can.

There are two categories Creator and Creation.

God is the Creator and everything else is His creation.

As part of His creation we are creatures.

He is God, and we are his creatures.

He created us a certain way, just like He created trees a certain way and He created water a certain way, and all of His creation, everything in the universe has certain properties and characteristics and limitations.

As human creatures, we are created in His image, which means we are “like” him but we are not him.

We have more similarities with Him than all the rest of His creation, but we are still different than Him.

We can only be at one place at one time.

We can only think about one thing at a time.

God is not like us in those respects.

The Scriptures are God’s revelation of Himself to us.

He has described Himself to us in these pages.

Everything we believe to be true about Him, we believe because that is how He has described Himself to us.

He has clearly told us that there has only ever been one God and there is only one God and there will only ever be one God.

So we believe there is only one God.

He said He created the universe with His own hands by Himself and He also said that universe and everything that was made was made through Jesus and apart from Jesus nothing was made that exists.

Colossians tells us that the entire fullness of God’s divinity dwells bodily in Christ.

That He was with God in the beginning and that He is God.

God has revealed to us through His Scriptures that Jesus is God, and therefore we believe it.

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit is a person and He too is the same as the Father and the Son.

So we believe it.

God can be three persons and still be One God.

We can not.

How do you define and describe a real God.

Well there is only one in existence and He can exist however He pleases since He is the only God you can compare Him to.

So why do we believe there is one God who exists as three distinct persons yet is still one God.

Because that God who exists as three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has revealed Himself to us and that’s how He described Himself to us.

Who are we, his created beings, to say that He can’t exist the way that He does.

So who is Jesus?

He is God in the flesh.

His name is Immanuel, which means “God with us”

HE IS THE RESURRECTED KING

Daniel prophesied that God would one day take His seat on His throne and that a judgment would take place.

But mysteriously He would give His dominion, glory, and kingdom to one like a son of man so that those of every people, nation, and language would serve this son of man and that his dominion, or rule, and his kingdom would last for eternity.

Jesus is the one that is said to be the fulfillment of this prophecy in which He will judge every person and be the king of this everlasting kingdom and have everlasting dominion.

HE IS THE SIN-BEARING SAVIOR