The Divinity of Jesus Christ — Erlo Stegen

Thank you, Lord, that on this, the last day of this year, we may bow before you and worship you. We pray that you would be in our midst, that you would speak to us, and we thank you for having kept us, and bless us this morning through your word.

The Divinity of Jesus Christ Amid Religious Deception

Amen. Today, I'd like to speak about the divinity of our Lord Jesus. There is a great going astray and deception in the world. You're in Africa, there are those that say, well, Jesus is just the saviour of the whites.

And the Muslims say that Muhammad is the last prophet, and therefore he is the truth. And they deny the divinity of Christ. And there are many religions, even here in Africa, that deny the divinity of Christ.

Great is the deception in the world. There are many who totally deny the divinity of Christ, and then there are those who say, well, he alone is God, there is no father, he is the father. There are those who call themselves Christians, that say that Jesus was born as an ordinary human being, and then through his obedience to God, when he died on the cross, he was saved.

Because he then became Christ. But the matter is crystal clear. No one should be confused about this. I'll read from Hebrews chapter 1. At home, you can also read from the Gospel according to John chapter 1.

And read at least from verse 1 to verse 18. And that which John says goes together with this here in the book of Hebrews. And that's why I'm not going to read from John, I'll just read it here in Hebrews.

But at home you can go and read from John 1, where it says, Because in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and then it continues from there. I was going to read from verse 1 right up to verse 14.

Hebrews 1 and the Son as Heir of All Things

But we won't be able to speak about all of that, so I'd just rather read a few verses here and there. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

So He is the Son of God's glory, and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. The matter about which we are speaking is the divinity of Jesus. A certain minister overheard two young 10 year old boys speaking to one another.

The Incarnation and the Angels' Worship

It was close to the day of Christmas. And the one said to the other one, I have received a small brother. And he said, and this child is so beautiful and it also has got a wonderful pram in which it lies.

And he said, I love this child that we have been given. But there is something that confuses me. What amazes me is that on Christmas day, the angels of heaven came down to sing and to praise God. But when this child was born, the angels didn't come down to sing.

And he said, that confuses me. With this baby that we have been given, it being so beautiful, why did the angels not come to sing? And he said, no, you are confused. You see, when Jesus was born, Jesus is God.

And that is why the angelic host came down to sing and to praise God because of that. But the baby that you have been given is not God and that is why the angels didn't come. And he said, now I understand.

Now I think I understand. It is getting clear to me. So the reason why the angelic host came down to praise God and to sing was because this child was not like any other child. He was God incarnated. It has never happened in the history of mankind that when a child was born, that the angelic host came down and spoke.

And that is testimony to the fact that this child was not like any other child that had ever been born. But he is God himself. Now some blacks say, no, when this child was born, it came as a wife. We want a black saviour.

And when I started preaching, I met a certain man that said like that. And some said, well, when I went to them, it was the first time that they met with a white man. And he said, if another black man tells you that, tell that person that they are just telling a fairy tale.

Because he said, when our babies are born, they are all whites. They are all light in complexion. He said, if somebody tells you that it's the first time that they now meet with a white man, when they speak to you, tell them, no, it cannot be true.

Because all our babies, when they are born, they are born as whites. So all of that is of no concern to us. It doesn't mean anything. But what is important is that when Jesus was born from Mary who was a Jewess, he came as God.

He is God himself. And through him being born of Mary, he was also truly human. God clothed himself in flesh that is like your and my flesh. Our text starts like this. In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways.

God's Revelation Through the Old Testament Prophets

Our text starts like this. In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways. God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in many different ways.

In the Old Testament, right from the first book of Moses, which is Genesis, right till the last book, Malachi, God spoke through the prophets. Our text starts like this. In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways.

Our text starts like this. In the Old Testament, right from the first book of Moses, which is Genesis, right till the last book, Malachi, God spoke through the prophets. It's no less than 30 times that God spoke directly through the prophets, where we have his words.

And there were other prophets as well who spoke, but their words were not recorded. But what we have recorded in the Bible is that God spoke through no less than thirty prophets. And so he spoke to our forefathers in many ways and at many times.

If you take the Old Testament, you find where God entrusted his word to different people saying go and proclaim to the people, which they would then do, and it was recorded. Not only once, and not only in one way, but at many times and in various ways.

If you go and read the Old Testament, you will find many books, they are not the same. If you read about the Psalms, that is one type of book. And if you go and read the Proverbs of Solomon, you will find that is once again a different style of book.

And if you go and read the prophet Isaiah, once again it is written differently. And Ezekiel is different as well, so God spoke in various ways. You can go and read the books of Samuel and you will find it is written in a different style.

Israel, Esther, Nehemiah, all those books are written in different styles, and yet you find that it is God proclaiming the same message through them, however in different ways. And also at many times, opportunities.

And you can go and read the books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, all those books are different, but it is the same God proclaiming His message to people in different ways.

One prophet was the son of a king. Another was a priest. Another was a shepherd. Another was just a member of the public. So the one from royalty spoke in a royal language. And the one who was a priest used the vocabulary used by priests.

And the one who was a shepherd used the language that was common to shepherds. So you see, those were all different ways. But it was God speaking through all of them, using the mouth of a human. And that's why here it says in Hebrews, in the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, because they all appeared at different periods at different times.

I hope that is clear to you. When it says that in the past God spoke to our forefathers, and He spoke to them at many times, and He spoke to them in many ways. And then it continues to say,. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.

Jesus Christ as God's Final Revelation and Creator

The very One whom He appointed heir of all things. And through Whom He made the universe. Now grasp that, that in the beginning, in the past, God spoke through the mouth of man. But in these last days God has spoken through His very own Son.

So Jesus, His Son, spoke to us not through a human mouth, the mouth of man, but through the mouth of God. At the beginning, God spoke through the mouth of man, through the prophets, but in these last days He is speaking to us through the mouth of God.

He who is the heir of God. He through whom all things have been created. He spoke through His Son, who is the owner and the Lord of all things. Through Him, the Father had created all things, heaven and earth, they were created through Jesus Christ.

He spoke through His Son, who is the owner and the Lord of all things. Through Him, the Father had created all things, heaven and earth, they were created through Jesus Christ. So I agree with that little 10 year old boy that said to his friend, I'm not amazed that the angelic host didn't come down to sing at the birth of your baby brother.

Because he was just an ordinary human being. But at Christmas, when Christ was born, that was the birth of God Himself. And that is why the angelic host came down to sing. They came down to behold this amazing sight.

God incarnate. God clothed in human flesh. He, their creator, their Lord, being born as a baby. He through whom all things have been created. And in verse 3 it says,. It says, the Son is the radiance of God's glory.

Jesus as the Exact Representation of God

There in verse 3. In other words, Jesus is God's glory Himself. He is the exact representation of His being. Sustaining all things by His powerful word. If you see Jesus, you're not just seeing a man.

You are seeing God Himself. You see the being of God. In other words, Philip, You are not just seeing a man. You are seeing God. You are seeing God. You are seeing God. You are seeing God. One day Philip asked of Jesus and said, Show us the Father.

And Jesus responded, Philip, I've been for so long in your midst and you still want to see the Father. He who has seen me has seen the Father. He said, the Father is in me and I in Him. The Father and I are one.

And this unity is not something that He has borrowed or has been just given. But it is in Him. The Father is in me and I in Him. It says that this child sustains and carries all things by His powerful word.

This baby that's suckled at a human breast, He is sustaining all things. It says that He sustains the sun the moon the stars in the heaven that number as many as the sand on the seashore. He sustains all things and controls all things that the sun keeps its course and the moon keeps its course and all the stars that remain in their place.

And that nothing that has been put in place goes out of its track. The Lord says that all things are in His hands and He will control all things and the moon will be the same as the sun and the moon will be the same as the sun.

And there are those who are worried that say, but if I go to the city, will God be able to keep me there? When I go to Sodom and Gomorrah, will I be able to be kept from sin, that I won't fall into sin?

If He can sustain the heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon, the stars, how much more will He not be able to sustain you? It is understandable that the angelic host came down to behold Him, this child unlike any other child that had ever been born, this amazing child that we have been given.

For He is God Himself. And then it continues to say that He had provided purification for sins. He took away our sin and redeemed us from our sin. Nobody else was able to take away the sin of man. He alone was able to do that, which is sole testimony to the fact that He is God.

In the Old Testament, the priest had to bring sacrifices and burnt offerings to God to remove the sins of men. But now He Himself had provided purification for that sin through His very own body. And that is evidence to the fact that He is God Himself, because no man can take away the sin of other men.

So how did He provide that purification? He didn't bring the sacrifice of a beast or a sheep or a dove, but He brought His own body. He paid our debt through His very own blood, that divine blood. He came in His righteousness and He provided salvation for us by imputing His righteousness to us.

He came in His righteousness and He provided salvation for us by imputing His righteousness to us. So when Satan comes and accuses us, he's got no ground on which to stand. Because Jesus Himself, who is God Himself, came in His holiness and He imparted His holiness and His righteousness to us, so that when the devil should try and accuse us, He doesn't find any ground on which to stand.

That is why it says in Romans 8, there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. And therefore the greatest sinner in this world finds salvation and escapes through this child, Jesus Christ.

Because He, through His very own body, removed our sin, He imputed His righteousness to us. Through His holy passion, His innocent death, He is suffering for us by that He brought about our salvation.

Not like a prophet or a priest from the Old Testament who had to bring a sacrifice and bring those sacrifices of animals for sin, no, He provided that purification through His very own body. I don't want to use names of different people or groups because some people might be offended by that, but there are still some people that bring sacrifices and offerings to church.

But yeah, we find that Jesus didn't bring a sacrifice of an animal, He Himself through His very own body became that sacrifice for our sin. Oh troubled you are that still bring animal sacrifices and you put these skins around your wrists and you don't realize the mystery of Jesus Christ because the blood of animals cannot bring about the justification of men.

Christ's Suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation

But Jesus through His suffering and you know how much He suffered for us, how He was chastised, how He had to die a painful death on the cross for us. And He was placed in a grave and then descended into hell to there go and proclaim His victory and that He has wrought the salvation of mankind.

And then He arose from the dead, ascended into heaven and went to sit on the right hand of the Father. Don't you see that this child is not like any other child, that He is God Himself, He's not just like you and me.

He's not human, He is God Himself. He is seated at the right hand of the Father from where He reigns until all His enemies are made to be His footstool and they have to come and bow down before Him and every tongue proclaim and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I said when you go home, go and read John chapter 1. Also go and read the rest of Hebrews chapter 1 where you'll see that Jesus is made higher than the angels. These angels, some of them are like flames of fire but Jesus is made higher than them.

Which shows us that Jesus is divine, He is God because these angels that are like flames of fire, they bow down before Him. Now a person might say, how can I help somebody else if there is somebody that denies the divinity of Christ?

What answer can I give to that person? Well just read your Bible, there are all the answers. Here you'll find it in Hebrews chapter 1 as well as in John chapter 1. I don't know how anybody can be confused as to the divinity of our Lord Jesus because it puts it so plainly in these verses.

How can somebody say He's just the ancestral spirit of the whites or something else to that effect? That person is intoxicated either by alcohol or by demons. So Jesus is there for God Himself. How do we see that?

I've already given you many points. We also see it through His eternal throne that will last forever and ever. In verse 8 it says,. But about the Son, He says, your throne, O God, will last forever and ever.

Do you hear that? God is speaking to Jesus. Saying your throne is from eternity to eternity, O God. God the Father calls God the Son, God. The Father calls the Son, God. So who are you then to deny the fact that Jesus is divine?

Satan has blinded you. In verse 9, You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions. Do you see this amazing thing? Where it says that because He loved righteousness and hated wickedness, God has set God above all His companions.

Speaking to Jesus, calling Him God. It was a Jewish businessman in Durban that had a business that sold building materials which we often bought from him. And we spoke to him a few times. And he would say, well, I'm also a disciple of Jesus, you know.

But I don't believe in His divinity. The Jews are troublesome for that. He called himself a secret disciple of Jesus. There are many in Durban. They deny the divinity of the child. They say He is the Messiah and yet He is not God.

Well, let me end there. But when you get home, read the rest of the chapter as well. It is crystal clear. During the youth conference, I said that I'll later speak a little bit about the wise men from the East.

The Wise Men and the Gifts That Proclaim Christ's Identity

As to the books of the East that speak about the birth of Jesus. Because the Bible doesn't explain to us the background of these wise men. Exactly where they came from. But if you read these books, it's absolutely amazing.

It is set in the year of 24 of Chao Wang, a king in China. He was of the dynasty of Chao. On the eighth day of the fourth month, there was a bright light that appeared in the southwest of where he lived.

And it enlightened his palace. And this king was astounded. He was amazed at such a bright light. So he called his wise men. His counselors. And he said, you are able to explain such things. And you can also foresee the future.

And then they showed him the books. Where it foretold of an amazing event that was going to take place. That the Holy One would appear. And that his kingdom would spread until it even reaches China. And fill China.

The king himself examined these books and verified it. And then he found. That this prophecy would be fulfilled in the reign of King Chao Wang. And he was exceedingly joyful. And then he sent his officials, his officers.

And another wise man. And fifteen other men. To go to the west. As to inquire about the birth of this child. Just consider that. Jesus said they'll come from the east and the west. But the children of the kingdom will be cast out.

And when they had arrived. They brought many gifts to this child. The first gift was gold. Incense. And thirdly, myrrh. And one is amazed at how these wise men from the east. Could grasp hold of so great a mystery.

For gold symbolizes royalty being a king. They realized the one who was born was a royal child. He was a king. And they were correct in that. Because he is the king of kings. And through them presenting him with gold.

They were testifying to the fact that he was the king of kings. And they brought him incense. What does incense symbolize? Incense symbolizes divinity. By presenting him with incense. They were acknowledging his divinity.

And they also presented him with myrrh. Myrrh represents suffering. Myrrh represents joy. Because when Jesus was born. Instead of the whole world rejoicing. Even though those from the east rejoiced. But Herod and the whole of Jerusalem.

They were disturbed. And blood was shed. The blood of many young baby boys was shed at that time. They brought him that myrrh. That he would suffer. Saying and through that. That he would suffer. Right from his very birth.

Throughout his life. Until his death on the cross. That he would suffer. These wise men from the east. Grasped that mystery. Are you able to grasp hold of mysteries? God revealing these amazing things to him.

About this child. They said we bow before you as God. We bow before you. We worship you. As king of kings. As God. As the one who would suffer. When I get to heaven. And I have the opportunity. I'd like to speak to these men.

And I'd like to ask him and say. Please relate to me. About what you discovered. And how you discovered. About the mystery of this child. These men from the east. From so far away. From China. They had so much knowledge about this child.

The Divinity of Christ Demands Repentance and Holy Living

But what about you? You've got the bible. You are preached to about every day. How much knowledge do you have of him? And perhaps you're still even continuing your sin. And you're lying and walking in darkness.

When you meet with Jesus Christ. You meet with God himself. He was absolutely holy. He was the light. He is the truth. So if you meet with him. We ought to see some evidence of that in your life. Your life wouldn't be crooked.

It would be as straight as a die. There wouldn't be any questions. Hanging over your life. Your life will be as bright as the sun. And it will enlighten all the others. Not that you find yourself amongst.

Comfortable amongst those who are sinners. Keeping company with them. And those who are apostate. Who've turned their backs on Jesus Christ. Just examine your life. And see whether you truly acknowledge.

The divinity of this child. They go another way after some time. They turn aside from the word of God. And however. The sun and the moon. They keep their courses. But you after 10 or 20 years. Turn your back upon Jesus.

Prayer of Praise for the Incarnate Son and His Sacrifice

How is that possible? And you keep company with those who have fallen away. You find yourself amongst them. Now stop deceiving yourself. And repent. Let's bow our heads and pray. Today you show us so clearly.

About your divinity. When we see you lying in the manger. And behold you there. We stand amazed. We can we say. Oh God. Is it possible that you as God. Would lie in such a lowly place. You the creator of heaven and earth.

You who sustain the universe. Through your powerful word. That you would be prepared to suckle at a human breast. But Lord Jesus. You did that. Because you sought me. You sought us. That you might bring us salvation.

Forgiveness of sin. And justification. We now have no more need. For any other sacrifice. For you yourself. Became that sacrifice for the redemption of our sin. Amen. Through you. We are saved. Sanctified.

And become the children of light. Amen.