DaVinci Decoded (1)

DaVinci Decoded (1)

2006026

Topic # 948 (deity of Christ)

Introduction:

A. Book spent 101 wks on NYT bestseller list.

1. Recently made into a movie by Ron Howard.

B. In the guise of a thriller – the book/movie has raised serious questions about the legitimacy of Christianity.

1. Jesus was a great prophet and an inspirational man – but not divine; not the Son of God.

a) his divinity was voted upon by those at the Council of Nicea (325)

b) Books of the bible were chosen that best back up claims of deity; others were rejected.

2. Jesus married Mary Magdalene was with child by him at the crucifixion.

a) After Jesus’ death – Mary M moved to France where her descendants eventually became French royalty.

b) Mary M was chosen by Jesus to carry on the Church and be a spiritual leader.

3. Because of this, the Catholic Church began to oppress women and keep them out of key leadership positions.

C. Is this really that important?

1. PPT: 3 slides on Brown’s claim’s as FACT.

1. Why spend time refuting a book/movie? (fair question)

2. TDVC is a direct assault on Christianity.

3. Book has become highly influential. (Barna Group 5/15/06)

a) Book read cover to cover by 45 million US adults. (1 in 5 adults)

b) Makes it the most widely read book w/a spiritual theme, other than the Bible, to have penetrated American homes.

c) 24% said book either “extremely,” “very,” or “somewhat” helpful in relation to their personal spiritual growth or understanding.

d) 2 million said they changed their religious beliefs/perspectives because of TDVC content.

4. 2005 – National Geographic Channel commissioned a survey in anticipation of a full day of programming on TDVC.

a) 32% of Canadians believed the contents to be true.

D. Christians must not bury their heads in the sand when things like this come along. See 1 Thess. 5:21; 2 John 7-10; 1 John 4:1; 1 Pet. 3:15; 1 Tim. 6:20

E. Deal w/2 main errors today. (1 now & 1 tonight.)

1. This AM we will powerfully assert that Jesus is the Son of God.

2. Tonight: talk about M Magdalene & whether or not the NT oppresses women.

I. TDVC claims:

A. Jesus was a man and it was not until the Council of 325 that deity of Christ was made an official doctrine.

B. P. 253 – until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet…a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal…Jesus establishment as the ‘Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea; a relatively close vote at that.

C. Brown contends that Constantine funded and presided over this council to secure his power over the Empire.

1. Establishing Christ’s divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman Empire and to the new Vatican powerbase. By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity who existed beyond the scope of the human world, and entity whose power was unchallengeable.

2. P. 251: more than 80 gospels were considered for the NT, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion: MMLJ, among them.

3. P. 254: Constantine commissioned & financed new bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.

II. The truth of Jesus’ deity.

A. Constantine did not initiate the Council of Nicea. Alexander did. Constantine did not even attend the council – so it was not an event for him to assert his power.

1. There was no Vatican in 325. Vatican would come to power in the middle ages in the vacuum after the fall of the Roman Empire.

2. Bishops met to debate teachings of Arius…who taught that Jesus was the Son of God, divine, but that He was created after the Father.

a) council of Nicea was nothing more than a debate about the nature of His divinity – not whether or not He was divine.

b) Council voted that Jesus & Father had always equally co-existed…298-2.

3. The idea that Jesus’ deity was invented is something that can be easily disproved.

c) Many documents exist before 325 which teach that Jesus is the Son of God.

B. Consider writings from those who lived just after 1^st century.

1. These men taught the literal D, B, R of Jesus.

2. They quoted the scriptures as authority on these matters because the scriptures came from the apostles.

C. Quotes:

1. Ignatius (105 AD) – God Himself was manifested in human form.

2. Clement (95 AD) – It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God.

3. Justin Martyr (160 AD) – The Father of the universe has a Son. And He is even God.

4. Tertullian (200 AD) – Christ Our God

5. Origen (225 AD) – No one should be offended that the Savior is also God.

D. A manuscript found dating back to 200 AD – quotes John 1. From this chapter we focus on 1:1-3, 14.

1. 2 Pet. 1:16 – Peter’s writing.

2. John 8:58 – Jesus’ own claim

a) This is a deliberate taking of the sacred name of God, the I AM. See Ex. 3:14.

b) Mk. 2:9-11 – Jesus worked miracles in support of the claim that He was God.

3. Consider how Jesus accepted worship.

a) Mt. 9:18; John 9:35-38

b) Only God (deity) is worthy of worship – Lk. 4:5-8.

c) Jesus’ acceptance of worship shows He is God.

E. What did the apostles teach about Jesus? Jesus is deity.

1. Romans 1:3-5

2. Col. 1:13-20; 2:9

3. 1 Cor. 8:6

4. 2 Pet. 1:1

III. Jesus did not keep His deity a secret.

A. It was not something He believed privately.

B. Everyone understood Jesus to be teaching/claiming that He was deity.

1. John 8:51-59 – Jesus publicly claims to be the Son of God, and have an intimate, close relationship with the Father.

2. John 10:24-36 – I and the Father are one…

C. It is important to note that if Jesus were just the “good man” that TDVC claims, then why did anyone oppose Him or kill Him?

1. It was His claims of being equal with God that led to the charges of blasphemy and ultimately the cross…

D. Finally, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the paramount proof that He is indeed Deity.

1. Rom. 1:4

2. 1 Cor. 15:3-8, 17, 50-58 – the proof of the resurrection.

E. In summary, Jesus’ deity is the clear teaching of the Word of God.

1. Evidence confirms that the Bible is God’s word and we should believe it.

2. If we believe the bible, we must believe in the deity of Christ.

3. John 8:24 – belief in His deity is necessary for salvation.

Conclusion:

A. What will we do with the truth? Phil. 2:9-11

1. Will you recognize Jesus as Lord? Will you confess Him now for salvation?

2. Don’t wait till after this life is over – you will confess Him as Lord then, only to your eternal damnation.

B. Phil. 2:5-8 - Something special for deity itself to lower itself, become as the creation, and die for it. Jesus died for you. Have you taken advantage of this free gift?

C. I N V I T A T I O N



DaVinci Decoded (1) 2006026 Topic # 948 (deity of Christ) Introduction: A. Book spent 101 wks on NYT bestseller list. 1. Recently made into a movie by Ron Howard. B. In the guise of a thriller – the book/movie has raised serious questions about the legitimacy of Christianity. 1. Jesus was a great prophet and an inspirational man – but not divine; not the Son of God. a) his divinity was voted upon by those at the Council of Nicea (325) b) Books of the bible were chosen that best back up claims of deity; others were rejected. 2. Jesus married Mary Magdalene was with child by him at the crucifixion. a) After Jesus’ death – Mary M moved to France where her descendants eventually became French royalty. b) Mary M was chosen by Jesus to carry on the Church and be a spiritual leader. 3. Because of this, the Catholic Church began to oppress women and keep them out of key leadership positions. C. Is this really that important? 1. PPT: 3 slides on Brown’s claim’s as FACT. 1. Why spend time refuting a book/movie? (fair question) 2. TDVC is a direct assault on Christianity. 3. Book has become highly influential. (Barna Group 5/15/06) a) Book read cover to cover by 45 million US adults. (1 in 5 adults) b) Makes it the most widely read book w/a spiritual theme, other than the Bible, to have penetrated American homes. c) 24% said book either “extremely,” “very,” or “somewhat” helpful in relation to their personal spiritual growth or understanding. d) 2 million said they changed their religious beliefs/perspectives because of TDVC content. 4. 2005 – National Geographic Channel commissioned a survey in anticipation of a full day of programming on TDVC. a) 32% of Canadians believed the contents to be true. D. Christians must not bury their heads in the sand when things like this come along. See 1 Thess. 5:21; 2 John 7-10; 1 John 4:1; 1 Pet. 3:15; 1 Tim. 6:20 E. Deal w/2 main errors today. (1 now & 1 tonight.) 1. This AM we will powerfully assert that Jesus is the Son of God. 2. Tonight: talk about M Magdalene & whether or not the NT oppresses women. I. TDVC claims: A. Jesus was a man and it was not until the Council of 325 that deity of Christ was made an official doctrine. B. P. 253 – until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet…a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal…Jesus establishment as the ‘Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea; a relatively close vote at that. C. Brown contends that Constantine funded and presided over this council to secure his power over the Empire. 1. Establishing Christ’s divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman Empire and to the new Vatican powerbase. By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity who existed beyond the scope of the human world, and entity whose power was unchallengeable. 2. P. 251: more than 80 gospels were considered for the NT, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion: MMLJ, among them. 3. P. 254: Constantine commissioned & financed new bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned. II. The truth of Jesus’ deity. A. Constantine did not initiate the Council of Nicea. Alexander did. Constantine did not even attend the council – so it was not an event for him to assert his power. 1. There was no Vatican in 325. Vatican would come to power in the middle ages in the vacuum after the fall of the Roman Empire. 2. Bishops met to debate teachings of Arius…who taught that Jesus was the Son of God, divine, but that He was created after the Father. a) council of Nicea was nothing more than a debate about the nature of His divinity – not whether or not He was divine. b) Council voted that Jesus & Father had always equally co-existed…298-2. 3. The idea that Jesus’ deity was invented is something that can be easily disproved. c) Many documents exist before 325 which teach that Jesus is the Son of God. B. Consider writings from those who lived just after 1^st century. 1. These men taught the literal D, B, R of Jesus. 2. They quoted the scriptures as authority on these matters because the scriptures came from the apostles. C. Quotes: 1. Ignatius (105 AD) – God Himself was manifested in human form. 2. Clement (95 AD) – It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God. 3. Justin Martyr (160 AD) – The Father of the universe has a Son. And He is even God. 4. Tertullian (200 AD) – Christ Our God 5. Origen (225 AD) – No one should be offended that the Savior is also God. D. A manuscript found dating back to 200 AD – quotes John 1. From this chapter we focus on 1:1-3, 14. 1. 2 Pet. 1:16 – Peter’s writing. 2. John 8:58 – Jesus’ own claim a) This is a deliberate taking of the sacred name of God, the I AM. See Ex. 3:14. b) Mk. 2:9-11 – Jesus worked miracles in support of the claim that He was God. 3. Consider how Jesus accepted worship. a) Mt. 9:18; John 9:35-38 b) Only God (deity) is worthy of worship – Lk. 4:5-8. c) Jesus’ acceptance of worship shows He is God. E. What did the apostles teach about Jesus? Jesus is deity. 1. Romans 1:3-5 2. Col. 1:13-20; 2:9 3. 1 Cor. 8:6 4. 2 Pet. 1:1 III. Jesus did not keep His deity a secret. A. It was not something He believed privately. B. Everyone understood Jesus to be teaching/claiming that He was deity. 1. John 8:51-59 – Jesus publicly claims to be the Son of God, and have an intimate, close relationship with the Father. 2. John 10:24-36 – I and the Father are one… C. It is important to note that if Jesus were just the “good man” that TDVC claims, then why did anyone oppose Him or kill Him? 1. It was His claims of being equal with God that led to the charges of blasphemy and ultimately the cross… D. Finally, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the paramount proof that He is indeed Deity. 1. Rom. 1:4 2. 1 Cor. 15:3-8, 17, 50-58 – the proof of the resurrection. E. In summary, Jesus’ deity is the clear teaching of the Word of God. 1. Evidence confirms that the Bible is God’s word and we should believe it. 2. If we believe the bible, we must believe in the deity of Christ. 3. John 8:24 – belief in His deity is necessary for salvation. Conclusion: A. What will we do with the truth? Phil. 2:9-11 1. Will you recognize Jesus as Lord? Will you confess Him now for salvation? 2. Don’t wait till after this life is over – you will confess Him as Lord then, only to your eternal damnation. B. Phil. 2:5-8 - Something special for deity itself to lower itself, become as the creation, and die for it. Jesus died for you. Have you taken advantage of this free gift? C. I N V I T A T I O N