Christology

Christology

• Introduce series
  • Who Are We? What defines us? What is our North?
    • The scriptures. The christian life is adjusting to what the Bible says about who God is, who we are and what that means in the way we live.
      Who God is.
    • The central figure of scripture is Jesus. He says it himself.

Christology: Biblical Theology of the person and work of Christ.  In other words, What does the Bible say about Jesus? Is that important?

Who we are. Believing in Jesus saves us from our sin, puts us in right standing and relationship with God and places us in the church. What is the church? Is it important?
Ecclesiology: Biblical Theology of the church.

What does that mean for us? Worship, this is the proper, glorious, and great joy of the human that has encountered the divine
Doxology: Biblical theology of worship

• Please turn to Matthew 16:13, page 822 in the pew bibles. 
  • If I talk about a guy named Paul at our church, you know, the one with he beard? 
    • Could be Paul Wilson (most days) or Paul Rottman
  • What about a family that goes to Goleta Valley Church that has 3 boys? 
    • Could be the Grossi’s, the Price’s or the Spitzer’s
• A deeper distinction must be made to correctly define who we are talking about. 
  • When I say “Jesus” the assumption is we are talking about a man who 2000 years ago claimed to be God, died on a cross and rose again. Or, Jesus who plays soccer with my son at San Marcos. I think you get my point. 
  • Even my shirt, “Y’all Need Jesus”. It usually does not mean repent and believe in the Gospel. It usually means you are so weird, you need real help.
• Look at these stats.  (Stats slides are below sermon notes)
  • Stat #1. Majority of people believe Jesus existed. Average of 90% of Americans
    • Once we begin to define which Jesus we are actually talking about, things start to change quick
  • Stat #2. 92% of all adults believe Jesus existed, but when defined, one of the first major aspects of who he was, we lose 36% on average. 
  • Stat #3. 92% to 31%, we just lost 61% of all adults. 
  • Stat #4. 63% seem to have an understanding of the Gospel, but remember we are down to 31% who actually know who Jesus is so it’s possible that 32% percent of these people will hear “I never knew you, depart from me into eternal fire”. 
• Do you need to know all who Jesus is to be saved? No. The Gospel is still the gospel, But believing facts contrary to who he is might mean you believe in a different Jesus. 
• The couple who has 3 sons at Goleta Valley church? They are all graduated from High School.  That’s the Price family.  That’s not my family. 

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:3–4

• Who Are We? We restore the church, our city, & our world to the proper teaching of the person and work of Christ.  
  • Read vs. 13, Who do people say the Son of Man is? 
    • He is referring to himself.  Who do people say Jesus is? 
    • There answer is common among people, even today
  • Read vs. 14- Prophet. Are they right? Yes. Jesus is a prophet. He was a man. The title “son of man” speaks to his humanity. 93% of adults agree. 
    • Jesus is my homeboy was in vogue with people like Ashton Kutcher and Pamela Anderson sporting the look. 
    • Every major religion says the same. A prophet, guru, good teacher.
    • But he is not just the “Son of Man”, He is also the “Son of God”. 
      • Fully man and fully God. Hypostatic Union. 
      • In Jesus both natures of humanity and divinity are present. 
• You can say Jesus is a good teacher but it will not save you.  
  • Scriptures about Jesus being God. Zech. 10:12, John 1:1, John 8:58 

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. John 8:58–59

Jesus is fully God and Fully man.

• Read vs. 16 You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 
  • The Christ: The coming king and the suffering servant. 
    • “The jews missed Jesus because he wasn’t “king” enough. I think we miss Jesus because of the same thing. 
    • And much like we look at culture and see they only have one side of Jesus, his humanity but not his divinity. We look to Jesus as Savior but not as King. 
    • And whenever we try to make Jesus something different than what he is, we need to check ourselves. 
  • Peter did this, read 21-23, then 24-27. 

“Americans’ dedication to Jesus is, in most cases, a mile wide and an inch deep.”                  

“Jesus is a friend of sinners, but many Millennials are ‘unfriending’ him at a time when their lives are being shaped and their trajectories set toward the future.” David Kinnaman

• Who Are We? We restore the church, our city, & our world to the proper teaching of the person and work of Christ.  
  • Read vs. 17-18. The confession, Jesus the Christ.  
    • Flesh and Blood
    • It’s not just cognitive knowledge, we need the Spirit to help us.  
• Who Jesus is… What did he do? 
  • Gospel, lead into communion 
    • Benediciton- May we restore our church, our city, & our world to the proper teaching of the person and work of Christ to the glory of God and our joy! 

 Stats from Barna Institute (Click HERE for article)