Using God's method of verification to convict Jesus of being Divine, Deity, God.

2. Today our topic is something you’re well aware
of; Jesus is Divine, Deity, God.
I want to use a principle God set forth for
finding out if a claim was true.
This principal is not to listen to only one
witness; there must be two or three witnesses.

3. Deuteronomy 17:2 NIV If a man or woman living
among you in one of the towns the LORD gives
you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD
your God in violation of his covenant,…6 On the
testimony of two or three witnesses a person is
to be put to death, but no one is to be put to
death on the testimony of only one witness.

4. We find this repeated in Deut. 19:15.
This is called Hebrew Parallelism.
You might remember Doctor Dunning teaching
about this in one of his lessons.
Have you ever read through the Old Testament
and have the feeling you had just read what you
are now reading.
This is the reason.

5. Deuteronomy 19:15 NIV One witness is not
enough to convict anyone accused of any crime
or offense they may have committed. A matter
must be established by the testimony of two or
three witnesses.

6. So now we have two Scriptures that state it
takes more than one testimony to make a claim
true.
While there is only one testimony the claim may
be true, but we have to look for another
testimony before we have conviction.

7. The question may be ask, “That was in the Old
Testament, do we have enough evidence that
this principal was continued in the New
Testament?” Let’s take a look and see if we can
establish that it was.
We find testimony of this principal in:
Matthew 18:16 NIV But if they will not listen,
take one or two others along, so that 'every
matter may be established by the testimony of
two or three witnesses.'

8. Now a person may question the validity of this
testimony as being in the New Testament as
Jesus had not yet died bringing the second
covenant, the New Testament, into effect.
This is quite true, this testimony was still under
the old covenant.
Let’s look for the principal after Jesus death and
resurrection.
We find it in Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians.

9. 2 Corinthians 13:1 NIV This will be my third visit
to you. "Every matter must be established by
the testimony of two or three witnesses."

10. An example is seen in Paul’s first letter to
Timothy.
1 Timothy 5:19 NIV Do not entertain an
accusation against an elder unless it is brought
by two or three witnesses.

11. The writer of Hebrews, who could be Paul,
reminds his readers of this principal.
Hebrews 10:28 NIV Anyone who rejected the law
of Moses died without mercy on the testimony
of two or three witnesses.

12. So now that we have this principal established
lets start our study of Jesus as deity, God.
We’ll start by establishing Jesus as God and
creator, the creator of the world, the universe.
Right off the bat John established this
becoming our first witness to this claim.

13. John 1:1 NIV In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3
Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him
was life, and that life was the light of all
mankind.

14. Now it’s settled, Jesus is one with God, or is it
settled?
So far we only have one witness.
In the 14th verse John has another testimony
and in the 15th verse John the Immerser, the
Baptist, has a testimony.

15. John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,
the glory of the one and only Son, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John
testified concerning him. He cried out, saying,
"This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He
who comes after me has surpassed me because
he was before me.'")

16. Now we have two testimonies that Jesus is God,
but only one that he is the Creator.
Paul provides a second testimony that He is
Creator in his 1st letter to the Corinthians.

17. 1 Corinthians 8:6 NIV yet for us there is but one
God, the Father, from whom all things came and
for whom we live; and there is but one Lord,
Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and
through whom we live.

18. Paul says there is one God, the Father and one
Lord, Jesus.
How do we understand then that Jesus is God?
Let’s take a look at the definition of these two
words in Strong’s Greek concordance.

19. God - 2316 theos (theh'-os);of uncertain affinity;
a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme
Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism,
very: KJV-- X exceeding, God, god [-ly, -ward].
Lord - 2962 kurios (koo'-ree-os); from kuros
(supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as
noun) controller; by implication, Mr. (as a
respectful title): KJV-- God, Lord, master, Sir.

20. As I understand these two definitions theos is
God the Father, kurios has authority and
control, but is not the supreme authority or
magistrate.
He is God, but not the magistrate, the Father,
He is the heir of the Father, the Son.

21. So Paul shows us Jesus is God, he shows us
more, through whom all things came and
through whom we live.
He is showing us, as John did, that Jesus is
creator and more, He maintains His creation by
providing life, through whom we live.
Without him there is not life.

22. Through him we are able to live, function,
breath, walk, talk, think.
I believe we can go further and say through him
the earth functions, the universe stays in orbit,
the bright sun allows growth, and the clouds
water the thirsty soil and bring forth food.
Lets even state further that because of Him
governments function, powers rule.

23. Paul gives another testimony of these claims in
his letter to Colossae.
Colossians 1:15 NIV The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16
For in him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things have been created
through him and for him. 17 He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together.

24. Isn’t this magnificent? Isn’t Jesus truly the glue
that holds everything together? If it weren’t for
Jesus, the Son of God, there would literally be
no us. Does this not also mean that because of
him gravity forces object to fall to the earth?
Because of Him water is constantly testing the
dam trying to force it to break. Because of him
fuel causes your car engine to create power to
move you where you want to go.
It goes further than that. “thrones or powers.”

25. I looked up the words “thrones or powers” in
Strong’s concordance.
2362 thronos (thron'-os); from thrao (to sit); a
stately seat ("throne"); by implication, power or
(concretely) a potentate: KJV-- seat, throne.
It sounds like to me it means a king or
governor that is in power over people.
2963 kuriotes (koo-ree-ot'-ace); from 2962;
mastery, i.e. (concretely and collectively) rulers:
KJV-- dominion, government.

26. Again it is talking about powers as in ruling
powers.
Isn’t it curios that Jesus created some of the
rulers we have today and put them in the office
they hold?
There must be a reason we do not know or
cannot understand.
He did not only create these rulers but they
were created for Him.
Baffling isn’t it.

27. I’m reminded of the story of Samson. I think we
all remember God forbid his people to marry
outside their clan. Do you remember?
Judges 14:1 NIV Samson went down to Timnah
and saw there a young Philistine woman?
2 When he returned, he said to his father and
mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in
Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."

28. 3 His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an
acceptable woman among your relatives or
among all our people? Must you go to the
uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But
Samson said to his father, "Get her for me.
She's the right one for me.“4 (His parents did
not know that this was from the LORD, who was
seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;
for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

29. The Lord slew many Philistines through
Samson. Even in Samson’s death he killed more
than while he lived.
God has a plan and it is through Jesus He
carries it out. Jesus is one with God as His Son.
Do you see how God did something Samson’s
parents did not understand, but God had a
reason? The same is true today; God has
people in charge and we can’t understand the
reasons.

30. Isn’t this true in so many things?
We pray to God for this person or that person,
this situation or that situation, and when God
answers differently than we want or makes us
wait we can’t understand.
Take for instance for years I prayed God would
give me a wife.

31. If I would have went ahead of God as Sarah did
giving her servant to Abraham to have a child
surely it would have been the wrong woman and
my life would have been miserable.
I think we all know that in waiting for God I got a
wonderful wife.

32. Jesus is one with God! Would you believe there
are some folks in Christian churches that don’t
believe Jesus is God?
I preached in a church that had an elder who
would not believe Jesus is God.
I won’t tell you the name of the man or church
but it was a big problem.
He was a real worker in the Church.
If something needed done he would jump right
on it.

33. This was good except he had a controlling
personality and wanted to be in charge.
He had many unfounded doctrinal beliefs.
Every Sunday evening and midweek bible study
had the potential for an argument or fight and
he liked to keep it stirred up.
As for him, he believed he should be baptized,
but he would not say that others should.
I don’t want to list all the doctrinal oddities he
believed, but here is how it turned out.

34. After about a year with that church the
congregation had opportunity to revote on me.
I was unanimously voted back in.
After the vote was counted he told another elder
he could not continue working with someone
who was so doctrinally different so he would
not be back.

35. I was told by some of the church leadership
they felt strangely that this was the purpose I
had been sent to them, to get rid of this thorn in
the side and hindrance to church growth.
I hate to think my main purpose was to run
someone away from the church.
God’s ways we cannot understand

36. We have the witnesses to prove Jesus is God
the Son! It was by and for Jesus you were
created. Will you serve your Creator? Will you
follow him by repentance and strive to imitate
Him. He gave His life for you, have you joined
Him it that death by having your sins washed
away in immersion and receive the gift of God
the Spirit. Do you daily seek to serve your
Creator?