1. Who was Jesus; His Claims & Reality

2. The Kingdom’s Court
Plaintiff (the Critics/Skeptics) vs
Defendant (Jesus/Yeshua)

3. If Jesus was on Trial today
If Jesus was on Trial today. What would be the Plaintiff’s allegations against the historical Jesus of the Bible?
You being the Jury in this case. What would persuade you to have full confidence in the historical Jesus of the Bible?
The Jury

4. Defending the Historicity of Christ: Not a (Legend)
Defending his claim to Divinity as (Lord & God)
Defending his Integrity: Not a (Liar)
Defending his Sanity: Not a (Lunatic)
Defense Attorney/Apologist: De’Aries A.
Serving Atlanta for Christ since 2004
JESUS (Not for Hire, but for Christ)
Helping the Skeptics to come from Facts to Faith

5. Historically it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever existed at all, and if He did we do not know anything about Him, so that I am not concerned with the historical question –Atheist Bertrand Russell [Why I am not a Christian]
Christianity constructed this Christ figure by copying from old ancient pagan myths before Christianity, and if he had existed the Church made up his notorious claims many generations later.
His Disciples knew better not to put words into Jesus’ Mouth –Corinthians 7:12 NASB

6. Previously, we saw the reliability of our NT documents, and how they have been transmitted to us accurately.
Documentary Evidence, Artifacts & Eyewitness Testimonies are strong supporting evidences in a court of law.
“Historical research indicates that a myth cannot begin to crowd out historical facts while the eyewitnesses are still alive” –Frank Turek
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty -2 Peter 1:16 – NASB
More NT Eyewitness testimonies: 1 John 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, John 20:24-30…

7. Defending the Historicity of Christ: Corroborating Evidence from Archeological Artifacts
James the Just, the Brother of Jesus “Ossuary” – Author: Book of James
Caiaphas the High Priest “Ossuary”
Pontius Pilate “Inscription”
The bones of St. Luke “The Evangelist” –Author: Luke & Acts

8. Defending the Historicity of Christ: Corroborating Evidence From Non-Biblical Sources
Josephus (1st century Jewish Historian) - "At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus.  And his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous.  And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die…They [His Disciples] reported that he had appeared to them after his crucifixion and that he was alive.
“He [the High Priest] the Sanhedrin of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who called Christ whose name was James, and some others…and they were stoned”
Jewish Talmud – “Yeshu was hanged on Passover Eve…because he has practiced sorcery and led Israel astray and enticed them into apostasy. Whosoever has anything to say in his defense, let him come and declare it.” As nothing was brought forward in his defense, he was hanged on Passover Eve.”
Suetonius -"Since the Jews constantly make disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome."
Tacitus (1st Century Roman Historian) Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus...
Thallus & Phlegon (Both Historians) Speak of the Darkness & a great Earthquake at the same time of the Crucifixion. Phlegon – “In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33) there was ‘the greatest eclipse of the sun’ and that ‘it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens’. There was a great earthquake…” But Thallus tried to explain it away as an eclipse of the Sun, but he was later refuted scientifically by a (Christian Historian) Julius Africanus.

9. Defending the Historicity of Christ: Cross Checking Biblical & Non-Biblical References to Jesus
Jesus was good virtuous man, he could perform miracles [accused of using sorcery] & had Disciples/Christians.
He had a Brother name James
Lived During the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
Condemned to death under Pontius Pilatus, on the Eve of Passover.
Darkness & an a great Earthquake happen at the time of his crucifixion at noon.
His Disciples believed he rose from the Dead.
Their message spread as far as Rome, and throughout the Roman Empire.
Acts 10:38 – when around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him.
Matt 13:55 – ..isn’t his brothers, James… & Sisters with us?
Luke 3:1 In the reign of Tiberius Caesar…
Matt 27:24ff…I am innocent of this man’s blood. But order that he be Crucified.
Matt 27:45,51 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land…the earth shook, the rocks split
Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out & Preached everywhere.

10. Defending his Divinity
We have enough Evidence to confirm the existence of a historical Jesus. But what do skeptics & other people claim Jesus to be?
Mormons (Satan’s spirit Brother), Jehovah’s Witnesses (Michael the Archangel), Muslims (a Prophet) & to others he’s just a Wise Virtuous Teacher.
Q: But what about you who do you say the Son of man to be?
If the Gospel writers claimed that Jesus was the Son of God. But what did they mean?
For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He…was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. – John 5:18 NASB
Did the historical Jesus Claim to be God?
Defending his Divinity

11. Defending his Divinity as Lord & God
I would like to summon Jesus & Lucian (2nd Century Critic of Christianity) to stand to Cross Examine them?
I would look to call Jesus to the Stand!
Q: Do promise to tell the truth & nothing, but the Truth?
A: I am the way & the Truth!
Q: Jesus, Did you Claim to be God, the Alpha & Omega?
A: It is as you say! As it is written in Isaiah: Yahweh Almighty is the First & the Last: apart from me there’s no God [Isaiah 44:6]. In Revelation this is what I say about myself I am the Alpha & the Omega the First & the Last, the Lord God Almighty… [Revelation 1:8,17-18, 22:12-13]. Also, else where as John recorded this fact: the Jews attempted to stone me twice, when I stated “before Abraham was “I AM””! [John 8:58], and also claiming to be “one with the Father” [John 10: 30,33].
Thanks Jesus you’ve made it clear about your identity as Divinity. You may now step down.
I would like to summon Lucian of Samosata to the stand.
Q: You were a Non-Christian in the 2nd century who mocked Christianity with your Greek Satire. Is that correct?
A: Absolutely – They were misguided creatures…! [The Passing of Peregrinus]
Q: From a Non-Christian prospective. What were the early Christians belief about Jesus’ identity in the 2nd century?
A: “The Christians ... worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account.... It was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws” [The Passing of Peregrinus]
Defending his Divinity as Lord & God

12. Defending His Integrity
Previously, we heard from Jesus’ mouth about his audacious claims to Divinity, and which his Apostle(s), earlier Christians especially from a non-Christian source affirmed about Christianity. So from the testimonies of evidence we can say that Jesus claimed to be Lord & God.
But when Jesus made these claims about himself. Should we assume he was not telling the truth, but he was lying?
Let’s examine Jesus’ Integrity.
Defending His Integrity

13. Defending his Integrity: Not a (Liar)
They [the Religion leaders] came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity.” – Mark 12:14
Skeptics, non-Christians & Christians alike would assume Jesus was a Man of Integrity. But let’s assume if Jesus was not telling the truth about his claims to Divinity?
Q: What was Jesus’ motive for lying about his Divinity?
A: Money, Fame or Hatred for Humanity (Demonic)
Q: Would you died for a lie knowing that it wasn’t true?
People would die for a cause they believed were true!
But Jesus didn’t just believe these claims about himself was true, but he knew his own identity about himself was true and he was willing to died defenseless for his claims!
Matt 26:62-64 [Caiaphas], the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” The High priest replied he as spoken blasphemy…They said He’s worthy of Death.
Defending his Integrity: Not a (Liar)

14. After examining Jesus’ motive, the evidence point to Jesus not being a liar about claiming to be God. Or he was claiming to be God, but he didn’t know his claims were false, because mentally he was a lunatic!
If anyone claimed to be Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln or even God himself. We would assume this person to have lost touch w/reality!
Would you allow this person to watch your kids? Or be their Sunday school teacher?
Let’s examine Jesus’ state of being to determine if the evidence point to Jesus being a lunatic, when he claimed to be God?
Defending His Sanity

15. Defending his Sanity: Not a (Lunatic)
He was a well balance individual: Emotionally [John 11, Luke 11:21]. Physically, Mentally, Spiritually & Socially [Luke 2:52, John 1:14].
Jesus was the standard of what mean to be human!
Those who were NOT for Jesus considered him to be wise?
Where did he get all this wisdom...they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. –Mark 6:3
His Impact: How can an Insane Teacher produce Billions of Followers to be in their right minds? (Luke 6:46) When Jesus intervened into someone life, he returned their Sanity (Mark 5:20)!
People were astonished after Unschooled, ordinary men have been with Jesus (Acts 4).
The evidence point to Jesus being a well balance person, and we can conclude he was not a lunatic!
Defending his Sanity: Not a (Lunatic)

16. I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to…
- C.S. Lewis

17. Here’s my Defense
As Christ’s representative, I rest my case. I declared him to be innocent against these false allegations of him being a Legend, Liar, Lunatic, but as he claim to be Lord & God!
I understand this is a on going investigation! But next week my colleague (Steve Collier) will validate Jesus’ claim to be true by giving us Evidence to show that Jesus rose from the Dead (Roman 1:3-4)!

18. Practical applications
Examine the Evidence for yourself!
Let’s not just be convinced about the existence of the historical Jesus & confessors of his Lordship. But we must take him seriously by obeying him. (Luke 6:46)
Help your friend or someone to know the real historical Jesus of the Bible with Gentleness & Respect (1 Peter 3:15)!

19. Sources NIV, NASB, NLT & NET More than a Carpenter: Josh McDowell
Compelling Evidence for Go & the Bible: Douglas Jacoby
Mere Christianity: C.S Lewis
I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist: Frank Turek & Norman Geisler
d-jesus-exist-part-4-lucian-and-thallus/
luke-sci

20. Please Go Pickup Your Kids