Course:  Jesus the Son of God

Section Four:  Witnesses who have a Personal Relationship.

Lesson Eight

Lesson Title: Witnesses that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God'.

 

Text:   John 20:30-31  'And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.'

 

Introduction:  John's Gospel was written so that we might believe and receive eternal life.  John wrote His first epistle so that the believers might have fulness of joy. 

We are to be witnesses to bring people to Christ and build up the body of Christ.

A witness is someone who is able to confirm or deny the word of another. 

Witnesses of Jesus testify that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God'. 

How was John able to show that Jesus is the Son of the Living God?

1)  Knowing Him personally.

2)  The miracles He witnessed.

3)  The words he heard Him say.

 

Introductory Story:  Eyewitnesses at the scene of an accident.

Police put out an appeal for witnesses. 

The facts can only be known through the testimony of those who saw the accident.

1)  A witness must have first hand knowledge.

2)  A witness must be able to recall what happened

3)  A witness must be able to express what he or she saw or heard.

In a courtroom the testimony of the witness will be challenged.

In some cases the witness is threatened or called a liar.

 

The disciples were witnesses to who Jesus is:

1)  First hand witnesses - they saw, heard, and touched Him.

2)  Recalled what happened

3)  Wrote to express what they had experienced.

4)  Empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Main Points

1.   Most important question: Who do you say Jesus is?

The disciples knew Jesus from personal experience.  But personal experience was not enough on its own.  They could only know who Jesus is if their eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit.

 

a)  Caesarea Philipi.  In the place named after earthly rulers (Philip the tetrarch and Caesar) Jesus asked them if they recognised who He is. 

Matthew 16:13-18 'When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven.  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'

 

b)  The Foundation of the Church is 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God'. 

The foundation is not Peter - 'Peter' (Greek: petros meaning a stone); the rock (petra meaning a rock or large stone) is Christ,

1 Corinthians 3:11  'For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.'  The Church stands on the foundation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.   See also 1 Corinthians 10:4.

'The Christ' meaning 'the anointed one' - His ministry, Isaiah 61:1-2

The Son of the Living God - His person.

To be a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ requires that our lives be built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ.  

 

 

2.   The church bears witness to who Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

a)  The baptism with the Holy Spirit empowers the church to be the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Acts 1:8  'But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.'  

The promise of the Holy Spirit baptism is given to 'all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call', Acts 2:38-39. 

This includes the body of Christ today.

 

b)  The baptism with the Holy Spirit provides boldness to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in the face of persecution. 

Acts 5:32  'And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.' 

Acts 8:4-5 'Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.'

 

c)  The early church went everywhere speaking about Jesus. 

They did not go everywhere talking about what they were doing.  Acts 8:35  'Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.'

 

 

3.   We must be like Jesus to be witnesses. 

Those who are not Christians need to know Him by experience in order to come to the knowledge of who He is.

 

a)  The world should encounter Jesus through the words that we speak.

The officers sent to arrest Jesus testified that no one else was like this Man.  John 7:46  'The officers answered, Never man spoke like this man.'

 

b)  The world should encounter Jesus in the way believers die.  John Wesley said 'those who oppose us have to agree that we Christians die well.'

The Roman centurion and those with him bore testimony when they saw the earthquake after the crucifixion of Jesus that 'truly this was the Son of God', Matthew 27:54.

 

c)  The world should encounter the person of Jesus through the ministry of the body of Christ.  Acts 4:13  'Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.'

The world should experience the love and life of Jesus through the body of Christ, ‘As He is, so are we in this world’, 1 John 4:17.

 

 

Summary:

To be a witness to who Jesus is:

1)   We must know Him through a personal relationship.

2)   We must be baptised with the Holy Spirit.

3)   We must be like Him. The unsaved will recognise that He is the Son of God when they have a personal encounter with Him.

 

 

Back to Course Index