Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?
Notes
Transcript
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus?
This question is asked to the disciples and they inform Jesus that some say you are Elijah, and some say that you are John the Baptist, others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But we know that Peter was blessed to have our Father in Heaven reveal unto him that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the Living God. So yes it seems that we are starting out with the complete answer to the question of “Who is Jesus?” And I want to take you all on an apologetics journey of more questions and answers that exposes to you and unbelievers the true object of our faith and the firm foundation we have in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Other religions view on Jesus
Other religions view on Jesus
For this message to you, I will use two perspectives from Judaism and Islam, respectively to make points that hopefully be beneficial in our understanding.
Most ethnically and religious practicing Jewish persons have not yet believed that Jesus is the Messiah, that means Christ. However, they do acknowledge Him as a first century Jewish rabbi which is a teacher.
No Muslim believes that Jesus is the Son of God, but they do acknowledge Jesus as a true Prophet.
So here we have two parties and please someone interrupt me, send me a text, or call my phone if I am misrepresenting the two, but:
One party says Jesus is not the Messiah, or Christ, but says He was a Rabbi/Teacher
Another party says Jesus is not the Son of God, but He was a Prophet.
What did the Heavenly Father reveal unto Peter when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:16-18
Matthew 16:16–18 (ESV)
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
But for the sake of giving a defense for the hope that is within us, then let us take both of their stances and carry them out to the end.
Jesus is a good teacher.
Jesus is a good teacher.
If someone claims that Jesus is a Good Teacher, then a theological response would be, “Yes, you are correct in your saying.” So if we can acknowledge that Jesus is a good teacher, then what did He teach?
Mark 1:14–15 (ESV)
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
After Jesus is literally called Good Teacher...
Mark 10:21 (ESV)
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
John 21:22 (ESV)
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
Mark 12:29–31 (ESV)
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Luke 24:27 (ESV)
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Yes, Jesus is a teacher and He is the message that He was sharing to all.
He taught that He is the Way.
He taught that He is the Truth.
He taught that He is the Life.
He taught that He is the Door.
He taught that He is the Bread of Life and the One Who gives living water.
He taught that He is the Resurrection.
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
This is what the Good Teacher taught and we can yoke ourselves with Him and learn from Him. Amen.
Jesus is a Prophet.
Jesus is a Prophet.
If someone claims that Jesus is Prophet, then a theological response would be, “Yes, you are correct in your saying.” But we must ask as well can a Prophet lie? How do we know that Jesus was a true prophet of God or not?
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
So you call Jesus a prophet, eh? What did He prophesy?
Remember how we were talking about earlier how Jesus had asked them the question and Peter was blessed by the Father in Heaven to proclaim the Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Remember that? Yeah well right after Jesus told Peter that he spoke correctly from what was revealed to Him by the Father, Jesus then prophesied.
Mark 8:31–32 (ESV)
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly....
Luke 9:21–22 (ESV)
And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Then the next account right after that is in all the gospels is the Mountain of Transfiguration, and Luke’s gospel tells us what Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were talking about.
And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
They are talking about the death that Jesus would die to glorify God and atone for sin.
And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:12 (ESV)
But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”
Then the very next day after they came down from the mountain and Jesus did what He saw His Father do in casting out an unclean spirit, He then went on to say what He heard His Father say in:
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
It does not stop there.
For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Mark 10:32–34 (ESV)
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Matthew 20:17–19 (ESV)
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Note that a specific time frame is given here in this prophecy. I appreciate this prophetic word from the Lord Jesus most because some people may argue, “Oh Jesus was a revolutionist, or He said such radical things that challenge the status quo and the leadership and the authority…of course He was going to be killed. Every body knew by the things that he taught and preached that He was going to get Himself killed.” And to that we have this in Scripture to point them to. Yes you can say that it was known that Jesus would be killed eventually, but it would be crucial to point out that a person who takes that as a focus is not hearing all that Jesus prophesied for who has ever said that they would die AND they would raise back to life again?
Luke 18:31–33 (ESV)
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Luke 22:15 (ESV)
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
Then after the Passover meal:
Mark 14:26–28 (ESV)
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Other accounts where Jesus prophesies His own death:
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
Matthew 12:39–40 (ESV)
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”
See it was not just the death but it was also the prophesy of the Resurrection as well.
Did Jesus’ prophesy come to pass?
Did Jesus’ prophesy come to pass?
Angel’s testimony that He has risen.
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Jesus then reminded them of what He taught them and prophesied to them.
Luke 24:44–48 (ESV)
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Jesus appears to Mary and she tells the disciples
Jesus walks on the Road to Emaus and they saw and recognized He was Jesus who had resurrected so they went back to Jerusalem to tell everyone else the truth.
Jesus appears to the disciples while Thomas is not there.
Jesus appears to the disciples again while Thomas is there and the only response Thomas can conjure is My Lord and My God.
Jesus tells disciples to cast their nets on the other side for a catch, then Jesus eats fish breakfast on the shore with them after their fishing expedition.
The disciples necks are bent upward because Jesus ascends to be seated at the Right Hand of the Father and an angel has to tell them to cease looking because the same way they SAW Him go will be the same way they’ll see Him return.
Paul
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
So did Jesus’ Prophecy come to pass? Yes! Amen!
Therefore, anyone can acknowledge Him as a true prophet of God but it cannot end there. Because Jesus’ prophecy came to pass in that He did rise from the dead, then anyone who acknowledges Jesus as a prophet must take on implications of His Resurrection, and that is Romans 1:4
Romans 1:4 (ESV)
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Why the Resurrection?
Why the Resurrection?
Resurrection proved He was the Son of God Romans 1:4 ; therefore, if you can acknowledge that Jesus is a prophet because His prophecy came to pass, then you must adhere to the truth that He is also the Son of God for in His fulfilled self-prophesy His resurrection is declaration and proof that He is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ resurrected to be the firstfruits the great harvest of the Resurrection on the Last Day. 1 Corinthians 15: 20 Romans 11:16 Understanding the firstfruit harvest offering of Ancient Judaism, one would understand that the firstfruits of the harvest were waved and dedicated to God that He may be regarded as Holy and what we have set apart for Him may He bless as holy. In addition it was to acknowledge the Lord God as the One Who brings forth the increase. And He rose bless all those who would be raised to life in Him. If Jesus is blessed and holy, the lump is blessed and holy. Amen
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
3. He rose again being that we have already been made justified. Romans 4:25-5:1
who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is alive today because you have been made right with the only true God. How are you made right with God? How are you justified before God? By faith. For the just or the righteous shall live or have their life by faith and what is this faith? Why I am glad you asked...
We have the same faith that Abraham has believing that God can raise the dead.
Not only could God bring forth plant life to bear fruit with no sun in existence on the 3rd day of creation.
Not only could God take a dead loin and a dead womb and bring forth life in the blessing of Issac.
Not only could God resurrect Issac from the dead if Abraham would have sacrificed him on Mt. Moriah.
Not only could God cause an almond blossom to spring forth from Aaron’s dead wooden staff
Not only could God resurrect the son of the widow of Zarephath
Not only could God resurrect the young boy in an attic of the Shunammite woman
Not only could God resurrect the man who was thrown into the Grave of Elisha
Not only could God take a valley of dry bones, give them flesh, and raise them to life to be a nation
Not only could God take a rebellious prophet out the deadly stomach of a big fish after 3 days and 3 nights
Not only could God resurrect a child of a religious leader soon after she died
Not only could God resurrect a widow’s dead son at his own funeral
Not only could God raise His dead stinky friend
Not only could God lay down His life and pick it back up again
But God can also take a dead spirit, your dead spirit, and raise it to life everlasting in Him and on the Last Day raise your body that you may forever dwell with Him.
The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob…The God of the living has the power of a life that cannot be overcome by death.
4. It takes the death of a testator for the will to go into effect Hebrews 9: 16-17
For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
The final reason I want to present to you why Jesus rose from the dead:
It takes the death of a testator for the will (that which is promised) to go into effect and Jesus not only died so that the will or testament would go into effect but He also rose again to ensure that His benefactors, those who believe, would receive the promise of that will. What is that better promise we receive; Whom Jesus rose to ensure we get? By believing and having faith in the Messiah Jesus being the Son of God Who shed His blood and died for the atonement, payment, and forgiveness of our sin we are saved and credited Jesus’ righteousness, being justified and born again by the Spirit and receiving the promised Holy Spirit of God to tabernacle in us that we may know God and live for Him alone. Amen.
So just like He said that He would die and rise from the dead, and He did it. Just like He promised to ask the Father to send His Holy Spirit and He did it. He also said that He is going to prepare a place for you and that He will come to receive you unto Himself that you may be where He is forever. Numbers 23:19 Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?