Facts for Faithful Followers Basic truths (‘doctrines’) that every Christian should know!

Last week’s Memory Verse “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 14

Facts for Faithful Followers Christ

This week’s Memory Verse “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John chapter 1 verse 14

Who is Christ?

Chalcedon Declaration Jesus is God and he is man He is fully God and he is fully man Each nature remains distinct Christ is only one person Things true of only one nature are true of Christ even if things true of the other nature would seem to prevent it!

Christ is God and fully God Jesus Christ is God – Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:3 The angels refer to him as Lord – Luke 2:11 Christ claims divinity – John 8:57-8 c.f. Exodus 3:14 His birth as a human didn’t cancel out any aspect of his God-ness. In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

Christ is human and fully human But he hasn’t always been! He took, by addition, a human nature he didn’t previously have – John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-7. He was born, normally – Luke 2:11, Matthew 1:18 & 22 He became flesh and blood – Luke 24:39 He lived a man – Mark 15:39; John 19:5 He died as a man – Romans 5:8 & 15 He grew – Luke 2:52 He became weary – John 4:6 Sometimes he was hungry and thirsty – Matthew 4:2; John 19:28 Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us; … the grace of God, and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ, abounded for many. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christ is human and fully human “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” John 8:28-29 How did he know things that humans don’t know? (e.g. Matthew 26:34) Christ is human and fully human He had normal human emotions wonder – Matthew 8:10 grief – John 11:35 sorrow – Matthew 26:38 anxiety – John 12:27 He had to learn – Luke 2:52 Even as an adult he didn’t know everything – Mark 13:32 He worshipped God and prayed submissively to God – Luke 22:42 Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Christ is God, self-constrained In some respects, Christ voluntarily constrained, but did not lose, some of his God-ness when he became a man – Philippians 2:6, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 13:3-4 Where was the authority of the creator when Christ was tempted in the wilderness? Where was the glory of God before and after the transfiguration? Where was the power of God in Gethsemane? You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Christ is God, self-constrained This self-constraint is still true This man now lives in Heaven, with scars, imperfections in his body Nevertheless, he is perfect – Luke 24, esp. v38-43, Revelation 5:5-6; Hebrews 9:24 “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. Christ has entered … into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Because Jesus is God ……… He is all-powerful and He cannot be defeated. He is the only adequate Saviour for others. Hebrews 5:9 & 10:11-14 Believers are safe and can never perish. We can have confidence that He will empower us for the task that He commands us to do. All people will be accountable to Him when He returns to judge the world. By one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy. He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Because he’s a sinless human, Christ can be our perfect representative He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Because he’s a sinless human, Christ can be our perfect representative … found in him, not having a righteousness … that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus the human was sinless – 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, Hebrews 4:15 To be our representative, Christ had to be like us To be acceptable to God, & give us Heaven, he had to be perfect – Hebrews 2:17 Christ is both, so he’s fully equipped to be the mediator between each of us and God – 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:26 All humans who are “in him” can be treated by God on the basis of Christ’s perfection – 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. He appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Because Jesus is man ……… He has experienced the same things that we do – Hebrews 2:18 He can identify with us intimately. He can come to our aid as our sympathetic High Priest – Hebrews 4:15 We can relate to Him – He is not far off and uninvolved. We cannot complain that God does not know what we are going through. He experienced it first-hand.

A better grasp of Christ’s nature should help us … To deepen our devotion to Christ. To enhance our worship. To strengthen our faith in Him. To more properly value Christ's worth.

Wayne’s Words “This is probably the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible — the eternal Son of God, himself fully God, became fully man and in doing so joined himself to a human nature forever. Jesus, a man unlike anyone else the world will ever see again, by eternally bringing together both the infinite and the finite, changed the course of history forever”.

You’re the Word of God the Father, from before the world began You’re the Word of God the Father, from before the world began. Every star and every planet have been fashioned by your hand. All creation holds together by the power of your voice. Let the skies declare your glory, let the land and sea rejoice.

You’re the author of creation, you’re the Lord of everyone and your cry of love rings out across the land.

Yet you left the gaze of angels, came to seek and save the lost and exchanged the joy of heaven for the anguish of a cross. With a prayer you fed the hungry, with a word you stilled a sea, yet how silently you suffered that the guilty may go free.

You’re the author of creation, you’re the Lord of everyone and your cry of love rings out across the land.

With a shout you rose victorious, wresting victory from the grave and ascended into heaven, leading captives in your wake. Now you stand before the Father interceding for your own. From each tribe and tongue and nation you are leading sinners home.

You’re the author of creation, you’re the Lord of everyone and your cry of love rings out across the land. Stuart Townend & Keith Getty © 2003 Thankyou Music CCL no.291588

over to Dave …..

Question Time ! 1. Why it is necessary for you that Jesus is fully human …… and fully God? 2. How should Christ being fully God and fully human shape the way we do Church together? 3. How does this doctrine help us with the problem of suffering? 4. Did Jesus know that he would rise again after his death? Why (or why not) and how come? 5. Who was sustaining everything when Christ died on the cross?

Prayer Time ! Praise God for the provision of such a great Saviour. Thank God for the divinity and humanity of Christ. Pray for those in need of the strength and comfort this doctrine brings. Pray that our Church may adequately reflect Christ to those around us. Pray for any other matters that come up.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John chapter 1 verse 14 Memory Verse

Take Home! Every time you read about Christ in your bible this week, ask yourself: In what way is (or was) Christ the Man at work? What aspects of his humanity can I see? In what way is (or was) Christ, the Lord God most high, at work? What aspects of his deity can I see? Do my answers reveal something about the importance of Christ being both God and human? Thank God for his revelation in Christ as God and man.

Facts for Faithful Followers The End …… …… until next time!