Speaker

As Christians,
we derive our
identity from a
person, one
whom we can
be truly proud
of.
He is truly
impressive
.
It is this person
who won for us our salvation,
who restored us to our relationship
with God
in whom we can have a full and
a new life
Thus, realizing the
importance of this
person to us, we want
to know him more
fully. And so we ask:
What we are going to talk about
Whats unique about Jesus Christ
Interesting details in His life
Jesus claim of divinity
Is he a liar, lunatic or Lord


Question
Having been born and
raised as Christians,
we take for granted
our conviction that
Jesus is the Son of God.
But this was not so
for his contemporaries
They found it hard to accept
that he was not just an
ordinary person
(Mark 6:3).
Mark 6:2-3
On the Sabbath he began to teach in
the synagogue. Many people were
there; and when they heard him, they
were all amazed. "Where did he get all
this?" they asked. "What wisdom is
this that has been given him? How
does he perform miracles?
Isn't he the carpenter, the son of
Mary, and the brother of James,
Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his
sisters living here?
And so they rejected him.

Is there any reason not to put Jesus
on the same level as Buddha,
Confucius, Lao-Tze, Socrates or
other wise men.

Was Jesus more than just a great
religious man or moral teacher?


History is full of men
who have claimed that they came
from God
or that they bore messages from God
or that they were gods
Three things
that make Jesus
an absolutely unique figure
in human history
1. He was pre-announced and
his coming was expected
Probability of Bible Prophecies
Birth Prophecies 1:10
17
1:100,000,000,000,000,000
60 major messianic prophecies-1:10
157
1:10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Prophecy : Clear Davidic Lineage
Prophecy :
Jeremiah 23-5
The LORD says, "The
time is coming when
I will choose as king a
righteous descendant
of David. That king will
rule wisely and do what
is right and just
throughout the land.

Fulfillment :
Matthew 1:17
So then, there were
fourteen generations
from Abraham to David,
and fourteen from
David to the exile in
Babylon, and fourteen
from then to the birth
of the Messiah.

Prophecy : Humble Bethlehem Birth
Prophecy :
Micah 5:2
The LORD says,
"Bethlehem Ephrathah,
you are one of the
smallest towns in
Judah, but out of you
I will bring a ruler for
Israel, whose family
line goes back to
ancient times."

Fulfillment :
Matthew 2:1-2
Jesus was born in the town of
Bethlehem in Judea, during the
time when Herod was king.
Soon afterward, some men who
studied the stars came from the
East to Jerusalem and asked,
"Where is the baby born to be
the king of the Jews? We saw
his star when it came up in the
east, and we have come to
worship him."


Prophecy : Internal Betrayal By Friend
Prophecy :
Psalm 41:9
Even my best friend,
the one I trusted
most, the one who
shared my food, has
turned against me.


Fulfillment :
Matthew 26:48-50
The traitor had given the
crowd a signal: "The man I
kiss is the one you want.
Arrest him!" Judas went
straight to Jesus and said,
"Peace be with you,
Teacher," and kissed him.
Jesus answered, "Be quick
about it, friend!" Then they
came up, arrested Jesus,
and held him tight.


2. He struck history with such
impact that he split it in two,
dividing it into two periods
Anno Domini (Latin: "In the year of (Our) Lord"), abbreviated as
AD, defines an epoch based on the traditionally-reckoned year of
the conception or birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Similarly, Before Christ (from the Ancient Greek "Christos" or
"Anointed One", referring to Jesus), abbreviated as BC, is used in
the English language to denote years before the start of this epoch.
3. Jesus came into the world
to die.

Every other person
who came into this
world came into it
to live.
Jesus death was the
goal and fulfillment
of his life.
The Uniqueness Of Jesus
1. He was pre-announced and his
coming was expected
2. He struck history with such
impact that he split it in two,
dividing it into two periods
3. Jesus came into the world to die
Some details about his life
1. Jesus was a young carpenter in
Nazareth.
For three years he
became an itinerant
preacher.

He was never more
than 100 miles from
his home.

He had never been
into cities with a
population larger
than 50,000.
Some details about his life
Within 3 years
he was dead,
killed in little Jerusalem on the fringes of the
Roman empire
He was crucified for stirring up the people.
Some details about his life
NORMALLY he should simply have faded
into complete oblivion. . .
Instead, he is surely the most famous,
honored, and best-loved person who
ever walked the earth.
Some details about his life
2. What was he like?
A very attractive personality.
Warm, personal, dynamic.
A major attraction of the times.
People are constantly amazed at his
teaching and works. Mark 9:15.
Mark 9:15
And straightway all the multitude,
when they saw him, were greatly
amazed, and running to him saluted
him.
Some details about his life
Strong in mind and body.
He outwitted the leaders of his day in
discussion as a boy of twelve,
and later as a man who did not have their
educational advantages.
He was able to fast for 40 days.
Some details about his life
Down to earth
Not a romantic or
a dreamer
Courageous
Some details about his life
A magnetic leader
He summoned
Simon and Andrew (Mk 1: 16-18),
James and John (Mk 1:20),
and Levi (Mk 2:14),
who all followed him immediately.
Mark 1: 16-18
As Jesus walked along the shore of
Lake Galilee, he saw two fishermen,
Simon and his brother Andrew,
catching fish with a net.
Jesus said to them, "Come with me,
and I will teach you to catch
people."
At once they left their nets and went
with him.

Mark 1:20
He went a little farther on and saw
two other brothers, James and John,
the sons of Zebedee. They were in
their boat getting their nets ready.
As soon as Jesus saw them, he
called them; they left their father
Zebedee in the boat with the
hired men and went with Jesus.

Mark 2:14
As he walked along, he saw a tax
collector, Levi son of Alphaeus,
sitting in his office. Jesus said to him,
"Follow me." Levi got up and
followed him.

Some details about his life
A man of extraordinary authority
He broke long-standing traditions for the
sake of a higher righteousness.
He healed the disabled and the sick.
He gave orders to nature which
were obeyed.
Some details about his life
Not confused or unsure
of himself or of his
mission.
He resisted the desire of
his followers to make him
a political king.
He rebuked Peter for
standing in the way of his
fulfilling the mission given
by the Father.
Mt 16:21-23.
Matthew 16:21-23
From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his
disciples, "I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much
from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers
of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days
later I will be raised to life."
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
"God forbid it, Lord!" he said. "That must never
happen to you!"
Jesus turned around and said to Peter, "Get away
from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my
way, because these thoughts of yours don't
come from God, but from human nature."
Some details about his life
Very human
He showed tenderness
and personal concern.
He experienced anger
and grief (Mk 3:5),
love (Mk 10:21),
compassion (Mk 1:41),
sadness (Mk 14:34).
He even had his favorite
time, which was early
morning.
Mark 3:5
Jesus was angry as he looked
around at them, but at the same time
he felt sorry for them, because they
were so stubborn and wrong. Then he
said to the man, Stretch out your
hand. He stretched it out, and it
became well again.

Mark 1:41
Jesus was filled with pity, and
reached out and touched him. "I do
want to," he answered. "Be clean!"

Mark 14:33-34
He took Peter, James, and John with
him. Distress and anguish came
over him, and he said to them,
"The sorrow in my heart is so
great that it almost crushes me.
Stay here and keep watch."

What was He like? . . . summary
A very attractive personality
Strong in mind and body
Down to earth
A magnetic leader
A man of extraordinary authority
Not confused or unsure of himself
or of his mission
Very human
Jesus' claim to be God
How do we know he is God?
By his miracles?
Miracles only show that God is
working through a person.
A man could work miracles and
not be God. John 14:12.
John 14:12
I am telling you the truth:
those who believe in me will do
what I do---
yes, they will do even greater things,
because I am going to the Father.

Jesus' claim to be God
So how do we know he is God?

The answer simply is that
Jesus himself told us so.
Jesus' claim to be God
Time and again throughout his public
ministry, Jesus claimed to be God.
a) Mark 14:61-62.
b) John 12:45, 10:30, 8:58.
Mark 14:61-62
But Jesus kept quiet and would not
say a word. Again the High Priest
questioned him, "Are you the
Messiah, the Son of the Blessed
God?"
"I am," answered Jesus, "and you
will all see the Son of Man seated at
the right side of the Almighty and
coming with the clouds of heaven!"

John 12:45
Whoever sees me sees also him
who sent me.

John 10:30

The Father and I are one."

John 8:58

"I am telling you the truth," Jesus
replied. "Before Abraham was born,
'I Am'."

Jesus' claim to be God
Also, Jesus claimed that
he could forgive sin.
a) Story of the paralytic
at Capernaum.
Mark 2:3-12.
Mark 2:3-12
Jesus was preaching the message to them when
four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man to
Jesus.
Because of the crowd, however, they could not
get the man to him. So they made a hole in the
roof right above the place where Jesus was.
When they had made an opening, they let the
man down, lying on his mat.
Seeing how much faith they had, Jesus said to
the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are
forgiven."
Mark 2:3-12
Some teachers of the Law who were sitting there
thought to themselves,
"How does he dare talk like this? This is
blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive
sins!"
At once Jesus knew what they were thinking, so
he said to them, "Why do you think such things?
Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your
sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, pick up your
mat, and walk'?
Mark 2:3-12
I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he
said to the paralyzed man,
"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go
home!"
While they all watched, the man got up, picked up
his mat, and hurried away. They were all
completely amazed and praised God, saying,
"We have never seen anything like this!"

The Trilemma :
Liar, Lunatic or Lord
Jesus Clearly Claimed to be a Divine Being
His Claims were False His Claims were True
He knew His Claims
were False
(1) He was a LIAR
He did not know
his claims were False
(2) He was a LUNATIC (3) He is the LORD
Is he a liar?
Could Jesus have lied?
If he lied, then he would have been
deliberately deceiving his followers
But not only would he have been a liar,
he would also be:
A hypocrite
A demon
A fool
Is he a liar?
Look at his person, his words & his work
His moral purity, dignity, sound intellect,
air of truth.
Consider his character that is so original,
consistent, perfect, high above human
greatness.
The results of his life and teachings have
been lives changed for the better
He sacrificed his own life for it.
Would he die for a lie?
Such a man cannot be a liar.

Is he a lunatic?
How would you know a lunatic?
With abnormalities or imbalance that
usually go along with being deranged
In Jesus we do not see any
His poise and composure would be amazing
if he was insane.
He spoke some of the most profound
sayings ever recorded.

Such a man cannot be a lunatic.
Is he the Lord?
If not a liar or a lunatic,
Jesus did speak the truth...
He was, and is,
the Son of God
as he claimed.
Is he the Lord?
Throughout scripture, we can read
about a number of Jesus'
contemporaries coming to the
realization that he was God.
a) Simon Peter. Mt 16:13-16.
b) Martha. Jn 11:27.
c) Nathanael. Jn 1:49.
d) Thomas. Jn 20:27-28.
e) The centurion. Mt 27:54.
Matthew 16:13-16
Jesus went to the territory near the town of
Caesarea Philippi, where he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
"Some say John the Baptist," they answered.
"Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah
or some other prophet."
"What about you?" he asked them. "Who do
you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God."

John 20:27-28
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your
finger here, and look at my hands;
then reach out your hand and put it
in my side. Stop your doubting, and
believe!"
Thomas answered him, "My Lord
and my God!"

Matthew 27:54
When the army officer and the
soldiers with him who were watching
Jesus saw the earthquake and
everything else that happened, they
were terrified and said, "He really
was the Son of God!"

Is he the Lord?
Even the evil spirits proclaim
that he is God.
Matthew 8:29,
Mark 1:24,
Mark 3:11,
Luke 4:41.
Matthew 8:28-29
When Jesus came to the territory of
Gadara on the other side of the lake, he
was met by two men who came out of
the burial caves there. These men had
demons in them and were so fierce that
no one dared travel on that road.
At once they screamed, "What do you
want with us, you Son of God? Have
you come to punish us before the right
time?"

Mark 1:23-24
Just then a man with an evil spirit
came into the synagogue and
screamed,
"What do you want with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Are you here to destroy
us? I know who you are---
you are God's holy messenger!"

Mark 3:10-11
He had healed many people, and all
the sick kept pushing their way to
him in order to touch him.
And whenever the people who had
evil spirits in them saw him, they
would fall down before him and
scream, "You are the Son of God!"

Is he the Lord?
God Himself confirmed it.
In the miracle of the raising of Lazarus
from the dead. John 11:41-42.
John 11:41-44
They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and
said, "I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.
I know that you always listen to me, but I say
this for the sake of the people here, so that
they will believe that you sent me."
After he had said this, he called out in a loud
voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in
grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face.
"Untie him," Jesus told them, "and let him go."

God confirmed Jesus' claim
God Himself confirmed it.
In the miracle of the raising of Lazarus
from the dead. John 11:41-42.
Jesus was giving a demonstration.
To the Jews,
God alone was the
one who had the
prerogative to give
life or to take away life.
God confirmed Jesus' claim
God Himself confirmed it.
The most conclusive proof is
Jesus' own resurrection from the dead.
The tombs of Buddha, Muhammed and
the founders of all the great world religions
are still with us.

Only Jesus' tomb
is empty.
Is he liar, lunatic or the Lord?
Jesus Clearly Claimed to be a Divine Being
His Claims were False His Claims were True
He knew His Claims
were False
(1) He was a LIAR
He did not know
his claims were False
(2) He was a LUNATIC (3) He is the LORD
Conclusion
Jesus is a man whose words and life
demand a response from us.
If he is not God, then we should have
nothing to do with him, because we do
not want to be followers of a liar or
a lunatic.
But if he is God, then we should
seriously consider him.
Our response will have eternal consequences.
Who is Jesus Christ to me?
Matthew 10:32 says:
'Whoever acknowledges Me before
men, I will acknowledge him before
My Father in heaven.
But whoever disowns Me before
men, I will disown him before My
Father in heaven'