Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord and Savior of the World
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© July 12, 2020
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:3-14
2 Timothy 1:9–14
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
Who is Jesus Christ? And why is it so important that we acknowledge Him as Central in the critical aspects regarding our personal faith and life?
· Who is Jesus Christ?
o Creator: It is from God the Father, and through Jesus Christ that all things were Created (1 Cor. 8:6)
o Savior and Redeemer: It is only through Jesus Christ that anyone can obtain forgiveness from the guilt and condemnation of their sins before a Holy God (Acts 13:38)
o Guide and Sustainer: It is only through Jesus Christ that we have the Presence and Guidance of the Holy Spirit to sustain us in our transformed Daily Life (Mark 1:8)
o Eternal Life: It is only through Jesus Christ that we have the hope of the resurrection from the dead and our Eternal Life (1 Cor. 15)
· Belief in and Acceptance of Jesus Christ as My personal Savior and Lord
o Messiah: Those who believe in Jesus Christ accept that they cannot save themselves before God and choose to believe Who the Scripture says is our Messiah
o Purpose, Value, Cleansing and Guidance: Everyone believes in something to give them purpose, value, cleansing and guidance from which to live their daily lives and give them hope for the future
· Worship of Jesus Christ as God the Son, One with God the Father and Holy Spirit
o Praise and Worship of the Triune God
o Understanding through God’s Word
o Fellowship and Unity with other Believers
· Serving Jesus Christ in our daily life
o Life: Living as an Honorable Faithful Biblical Christian
o “Dying to”: Rejecting and “dying to” our old carnal self with its ways
o Daily: Seeking to draw closer to God through His Word, prayer, attitude and actions
o Empowerment & Out-reaching: Living empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
· Being assured of Eternal Life because of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and Promises
The Apostle Paul’s Outline of “The Mystery of Godliness” concerning Jesus Christ
1 Timothy 3:16
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He [Jesus] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
· Manifested in the flesh,
· Vindicated by the Spirit,
· Seen by angels,
· Proclaimed among the nations,
· Believed on in the world,
· Taken up in glory.
Let’s look at each of these areas in relationship to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
~ Jesus Christ was Manifested in the flesh
“Manifested” [φανερόω]
To make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way.
Can God, the Father ever be seen?
1 John 4:12
“No one has ever seen God…”
Why can God the Father not be seen?
John 4:24
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 Timothy 6:16
…“Who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.”
Jesus Christ is the Visible Manifestation of the Invisible God
Colossians 1:15–16
15 He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:18
18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Jesus Christ “The Word,” has visibly made God the Father “manifest” and known in the Beginning through Creation and at the End through His Return as King of kings
In the Beginning, Jesus is called “The Word of God.” All things were made through Him.
John 1:1–3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
In the End… Jesus, the Conquering King of kings is called “The Word of God”
Revelation 19:11
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Revelation 19:13, 16
13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the Name by which He is called is The Word of God…
16 On His robe and on His thigh He has a Name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the Beginning there was Christ, “The Word”; and, in the End, there will be Christ, “The Word” – Let’s briefly look at Christ visitation to earth, in the Old Testament, before His Incarnation.
The Pre-Incarnate Christ
Theophanies or Christophanies: “Manifestations” of God the Father – Jesus Christ in the Old Testament:
· In the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8)
· When Hagar was cast out by Sarah…regarding the LORD who spoke with her, (Gen. 16:7-13; 21:17-20)
Genesis 16:13
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
· One of the angelic “three men” who visit Abraham at Mamre (Gen. 18)
· Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel (Gen. 32:24, 28)
· The 70 elders of Israel—along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and Joshua—experience a vision of God (Ex. 24:9–18)
· “The Pillar” and “The Rock” that followed Israel in the wilderness
Psalm 99:6–7
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon His name. They called to the Lord, and He answered them. 7In the pillar of the cloud He spoke to them; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.
1 Corinthians 10:1–4
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
· Joshua confronted by “The Commander of the Lord’s Army” (Joshua 5:13-15)
· Daniel’s Vision of the Son of Man being given Everlasting Dominion, Glory and a Kingdom over all peoples, nations, and languages. (Daniel 7:13-14)
Jesus Christ’s manifestation of the Father
o “The Word,” in the beginning (and in the End)
o Pre-Incarnate manifestations of God in the Old Testament
“The Incarnation”
Jesus Christ, God the Son, was Manifested in the flesh
Luke 2:7
7 And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Galatians 4:4
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law….
Philippians 2:6–8
6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
~ Jesus Christ was Vindicated by the Spirit
1 Timothy 3:16
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He [Jesus] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit…
Jesus Christ was Vindicated by the Spirit
“Vindicated” [δικαιόω]
1 to render righteous or such he ought to be. 2 to show, exhibit, evince (reveal the presence of), one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered. 3 to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be.
Jesus’ Baptism
How did the Holy Spirit vindicate Jesus to be the Messiah when He was baptized by John the Baptist?
Luke 3:21–22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.”
John 1:29–34
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
~ Jesus Christ was Seen by angels
“Seen” [ὀπτάνομαι]
1 to look at, behold. 2 to allow one’s self to be seen, to appear.
Why was it such a mystery for Christ to be “seen by angels”?
Philippians 2:6–11
[How the angelic beings knew “The Word” before His Incarnation]
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Peter 1:10–12
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
God’s Mystery: 1. Redemption through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
None in God’s Angelic host, or the fallen principalities, powers and rulers of this dark world were expecting the death and Crucifixion of God, the Son, and His Resurrection from the dead to be God’s ultimate Plan which would break the power of sin and death, to bring Redemption and Unite all things!
2 Timothy 1:9b–10
9 …This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed deathand has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
God’s Mystery: 2. Redemption through Christ available to the Whole World building “His Church” (not only through Israel)
Ephesians 3:9–11
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord….
God’s Mystery: 3. Uniting all things, in time, through Jesus Christ – in heaven and on earth
Ephesians 1:9–10
9 making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.
~ Jesus Christ was Proclaimed among the nations
1 Timothy 3:16
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He [Jesus] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations…
Jesus Christ was Proclaimed among the nations
“Proclaimed” [κηρύσσω]
“Used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other Christian teachers.”
The Great Commission Given by Jesus Christ
Matthew 28:19–20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Gospel of Christ was being spread throughout the nations
Acts 17:6–7
6 … They dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
~ Jesus Christ was Believed On in the world
“Believed On” [πιστεύω]
The conviction and trust by which an individual is impelled to believe and have saving faith in Jesus Christ.
It isn’t often that one can find a source in secular media measuring the scope of profound effects that Jesus Christ has had in the world, proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the greatest person who has ever lived!
A few years ago, motivated by social media “likes” and “dislikes” of personalities – each wanting to be more popular than the other, a book was written by Steven Skiena and Charles Ward which sought to settle once and for all who was the greatest person who has ever lived, titled, “Who’s Bigger? Where Historical Figures Really Rank” (Cambridge University Press), (http://www.whoisbigger.com).
• They Measured popular opinion in social media and any main line resources
o Email
o Twitter
o Facebook
o Google
o YouTube
o Wikipedia
o Published books and library resources
o And a host of other networks, sites, schools, colleges, local groups, programs, political parties, associations, temples, churches, synagogues, mosques, and other organizations or societies
They measured how successfully the Person and their ideas have been when propagated over time. Through their exhaustive analysis they determined that Jesus Christ is "the most significant person ever."
“With over two billion followers a full 2,000 years after his death, Jesus is an incredibly successful historical [Person] meme.”
~ Jesus Christ was Taken Up into glory
“Taken Up” [ἀναλαμβάνω]
“to take up, raise.” [1]
Acts 1:9–11
9 And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Mark 16:19
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
· Who is Jesus Christ?
o Creator: It is through Jesus Christ that all things were Created
o Savior and Redeemer: It is only through Jesus Christ that anyone can obtain forgiveness from the guilt and condemnation of their sins before a Holy God
o Guide and Sustainer: It is only through Jesus Christ that we have the Presence and Guidance of the Holy Spirit to sustain us in our transformed Daily Life
o Eternal Life: It is only through Jesus Christ that we have the hope of the resurrection from the dead and our Eternal Life
The Apostle Paul’s Outline of “The Mystery of Godliness” concerning Jesus Christ
1 Timothy 3:16
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He [Jesus] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
· Manifested in the flesh,
· Vindicated by the Spirit,
· Seen by angels,
· Proclaimed among the nations,
· Believed on in the world,
· Taken up in glory.
What will you do with Jesus?
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:2–3
[1] All Greek words and definitions from: Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.