Jesus Christ is God, The Son
Christ is King Forever, because He is God, the Son
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
©April 18, 2010
Beautiful World
A short time ago a friend sent me a slide show of amazingly beautiful pictures of snow-capped mountains reflecting off crystal clear lakes; stunningly picturesque autumn tinted trees and landscapes dotted with peaceful, grazing livestock resplendent in the brilliant hues of a glorious sunset.
As I watched the slide show, I could not help but think, “How astoundingly beautiful! My God made that!” and, “If my God made that, what amazing beauty does He have in store for us in the future!”
Somehow, the enemy of our souls has sold the world the lie that “nothing” created all of this. Tragically, the end of such deceptions brings innumerable eternal consequences. Any individual, who, by God’s grace, can see past these deceptions, can clearly see that “nothing” has no chance of creating anything, especially something of such magnificent beauty, intricacy and intelligence. In fact, “nothing” has no chance of allowing us to perceive such beauty with our eyes, mind and comprehension…if we too, had not been created by such a profoundly sophisticated and amazingly creative, and dynamically awesome Creator.
I have placed my eternal soul in the Hands of The Divine Creator. What will happen to those who placed their eternal souls in the hands of “nothing”?
Do you know who The Divine Creator is? The Bible says that this Creator is Jesus Christ!
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him,
and without Him was not any thing made
that was made…
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 1:1-3,14
Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,
whom He appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also He created the world.
Hebrews 1:1,2
For by Him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—
all things were created through Him and for Him…
For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of His cross.
Colossians 1:16,19,20
When we say that “Christ is King Forever”, we do so for several reasons:
•Creator: Christ is King forever, because as The Pre-Incarnate Word, He created all things.
•Birth: Christ is King forever, because He was born in a miraculous way, through His virgin birth!
•Spotless: Christ is King forever, because He lived a perfect and sinless life – He was the spotless Lamb of God!
•Miracles: Christ is King forever, because He performed many profound miracles, which no one else has ever done, nor which, in the future, could ever be done by others.
•Redemption: Christ is King forever, because He purchased our redemption from sin through His death on the cross – He conquered sin!
•Resurrection: Christ is King forever, because He rose from the dead on the third day, as He had promised, verifiable by many witnesses – including five hundred, on one occasion, who could testify of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
He conquered death, so that those who believe in Him, could also have everlasting life!
But most importantly…
Christ is King forever, because He is God, the Son!
This profound aspect of the Person of Christ has been challenged and attacked by those who would desperately wish to prove that Jesus is not God. In doing so, they might be wanting to prove that they themselves will be a god some day, on equal plane with Jesus, or that Jesus was just a created being like themselves; that He was not the prophesied Messiah (Daniel 7:13,14); or He didn’t fit their preconceived vision of the coming Messiah or King. There could be any number of reasons why worldly theologians of the various religions of the world would not want Jesus Christ to be seen as God, the Son!
Unfortunately, such theologians will be proven very inaccurate in their Biblical assessment of Jesus, the Christ, if they do not regard Jesus Christ as God, the Son.
Today, we will focus on one primary aspect of Biblical Truth regarding Jesus Christ, as God, the Son.
The undeniable Biblical Truth that Christ, our King Forever, is Worshipped.
Why is this important? If Jesus Christ is worshipped, Jesus Christ is God.
Christ the King, is Worshipped as God.
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Christ allows Himself to be worshipped by His followers, while He is here on earth; -
God, the Father commands the angels to worship the Incarnate Christ;
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Christ, the Living Lamb, is worshipped before the very Throne of God the Father, in heaven.
What is Worship?
What does it mean to “worship” something or someone?
The following three areas of worship may show us three basic concepts of worship: AWE, Adulation, and Expectation.
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•AWE: To acknowledge another person, an idol or image as a reverential presence.
oCan “pop stars”, movie stars, sport’s stars, or other human “stars” be put in this category of AWE from time to time? How do we do that?
oWe worship Jesus Christ in reverential AWE, because He is worthy of our worship and praise, as Creator and Lord over all!
•Adulation: To bring gifts, offerings, or benefit to the one who is being reverenced.
o The wise men worshipped Jesus by bringing Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
o How do children, teens or adults bring gifts to their “idols” today?
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✴ We, in the 21st Century North America instead of “worshipping” gods of stone and wood, we tend to adore great minds, educational theories, talented personalities, beautiful bodies, wealthy tycoons, and power wielding authorities.
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✴ We can give undue respect and adulation to these famous persons and/or their ideas.
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✴ We tend to fanaticize about who these “idols” are, and the extent of their “great” abilities.
o We give adulation to Jesus Christ by giving ourselves, our time and our resources to God, for the Worship of Christ, and the spreading of the Gospel of Christ, whereby mankind can have cleansing from sin, peace with God and an eternal home in heaven:
Primary Definition of the Gospel – personal belief that:
“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”…(1 Corinthians 15:3,4)
The Great Commission
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.” Matthew 28:18-20
•Expectation: To receive some personal benefit from our worship. In “worship” we tend to count on some benefit in return, from our worship of God, or loyalty shown to the idols of the world (even though these “idols” may not even know who we are)!
Worldly Expectations from Worldly Worship:
We expect to be rewarded back through some form of acceptance or popularity by our peers around us who adore the same “idol”; we may seek some type of health benefit from their power; or, we may seek to gain in prosperity or power because of our association with them.
o We may seek acceptance in certain strata of society for adhering to some similar “idolic” philosophies;
o We may seek acceptance in some circles of “higher learning” by making certain theories our educational idols, but deterring from these would cause us to face disciplinary actions;
o We may seek acceptance in our social interactive peer groups: Facebook, Twitter and Tweets…by assuming the belief systems promoted by the spirit of this world;
It is interesting that sport figures are notorious for doing certain rituals, wearing of fetishes, or adhering to certain superstitions before they play their game, expecting that their adherence to these fetishes will help them win. Forms of idolatry never cease.
Godly Expectations from our Worship:
The Expectation that a believer in Jesus Christ has from giving ourselves to Christ and our worship of God:
o Cleansing from the guilt and condemnation of sin
o Peace with God
o A wonderful heavenly home
o Eternal life
Three Basics of any Worship:
AWE, Adulation and Expectation
WORSHIP of Jesus Christ, in the Bible
Why is it so important that the Bible records the fact that Jesus Christ is worshipped?
The Problem with Worship of anyone is that God has set a firm Precedent:
No one is to be worshipped but God!
Exodus 20 – The first of the 10 Commandments make this very clear!
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God….
2 Kings 17
35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, 36 but you shall fear the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.
The Apostle John, recorded in his Heavenly Revelation, was chastised for giving in to overwhelming AWE at what he was experiencing, and falling at the feet of an angelic being.
Revelation 19
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 22
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
No one is to be worshipped but God!
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Christ allows Himself to be worshipped by His followers, while He is here on earth
Jesus Christ is worshipped by His Disciples.
Background: The miracle of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand, Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 14
Jesus Walks on the Water and is Worshipped by His disciples
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Christ Jesus is also worshipped by His disciples before His Ascension
Matthew 28
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
Christ allows Himself to be worshipped by His followers, while He is here on earth.
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God, the Father commands the angels to worship the Incarnate Christ
Angelic Beings Are to Worship Jesus Christ
Hebrews 1
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
This instruction was obviously given when Christ Jesus became flesh and was born of Mary – angels are certainly not omniscient/all-knowing beings…so God the Father told the angels “this ONE is The Eternal Christ in human form, worship Him”. The angels did so in their heavenly revelation to the shepherds
This instruction that God the Father gave to the angels of heaven to “worship Him – The Christ”, is unparalleled!
Even the demons’ believe and tremble before Him…
Mark 5
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
James 2:19
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
God, the Father commands the angels to worship Him.
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Christ, the Living Lamb, is Worshipped around the Throne of God, the Father
Revelation 5:1-14
The Lamb Before the Throne
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Christ, the Living Lamb, is Worshipped around the Throne of God, the Father.
Jesus Christ, God the Son, will one day Rule and Reign over All!
Daniel 7
The Son of Man Is Given Dominion
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Isaiah 9
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Luke 1
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Philippians 2 – Every knee will bow!
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.
Conclusion
Christ is King forever because He created all things; He was born of a virgin; He lived a sinless life; He performed unparalleled miracles; He purchased our redemption from sin, on the cross; He died, but He rose again on the third day, just as He said; and…
Christ is King forever, because He is God, the Son!
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Christ allows Himself to be worshipped by His followers, while He is here on earth;
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God, the Father commands the angels to worship the Incarnate Christ;
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Christ, the Living Lamb, is worshipped before the very Throne of God the Father, in heaven.
We have the opportunity to worship Jesus Christ now, by giving Him our heart and serving Him with our lives.
The following are 37 Biblical reasons to affirm Jesus Christ as God.
Jesus Christ is God
Omnipotent = All Powerful
Omniscient = All Knowing
1. He was omnipotent over disease. Matt. 8:1-4; Luke 4:39
2. He was omnipotent over demons. Matt. 8:16-17, 28-32; Luke 4:35
3. He was omnipotent over men. Matt. 9:9; John 17:2
4. He was omnipotent over nature. Matt. 8:26
5. He was omnipotent over sin. Matt. 9:1-8
6. He was omnipotent over traditions. Matt. 9:10-17
7. He was omnipotent over death. Luke 7:14-15; 8:54-56; John 11:4
8. He was omniscient, knowing of Nathanael. John 1:48
9. He was omniscient, knowing the plot of Judas. John 6:70
10. He was omniscient, knowing the hearts of the Pharisees.
Matt. 12:25; Luke 5:22; 6:8; 7:39-40
11. He knew the thoughts of the scribes. Matt. 9:3-4
12. He knew the sincerity of one scribe. Mark 12:34
13. He knew the history of the Samaritan woman. John 4:24
14. He knew the problems of his disciples. Luke 9:46-47
15. He was omnipresent. Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13; 14:20
16. He was worshiped as God by the angels. Heb. 1:6
17. He was worshiped as God by the shepherds. Luke 2:15
18. He was worshiped as God by the wise men. Matt. 2:2, 11
19. He was worshiped as God by a leper. Matt. 8:2
20. He was worshiped as God by a ruler. Matt. 9:18
21. He was worshiped as God by a Canaanite woman. Matt. 15:25
22. He was worshiped as God by a mother. Matt. 20:20
23. He was worshiped as God by a maniac. Mark 5:6
24. He was worshiped as God by a man born blind. John 9:38
25. He was worshiped as God by Thomas. John 20:28
26. He was worshiped as God by some Greeks. John 12:20-21
27. He was worshiped as God by his apostles. Matt. 14:33; 28:9
28. He forgave sins. Mark 2:5, 10-11
29. He judges. John 5:22
30. He saves. Matt 18:11; John 10:28
31. Stephen called him God. Acts 7:59
32. The eunuch called him God. Acts 8:37
33. Paul called him God. Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13
34. Peter called him God. 1 Pet. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:17
35. Jude called him God. Jude 25
36. James called him God. James 2:1
37. John called him God. 1 John 5:20; Rev. 1:18; 19:16 1
1 Willmington, H. (1987). Willmington's book of Bible lists (166). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
