Jesus claimed to be God, the Bible declares Jesus to be God through his words and actions, and believing Jesus is God is essential for salvation.

Transcript

Who is Jesus? There's a number of ways that that could be answered. There are some people that would say that he was not even a good person, that he was a deceiver and a blasphemy. Others would take the position that he wasn't bad. But he was just a good man, and yet that really is not a possibility because if he was a liar and a deceiver, he's not a good person.

And he certainly made claims to be more than just a good man. And so he is more than a good man, as he said, or else he is just a liar and a deceiver.

Correctly, you could come up with the idea he is our Lord, and you would be right. Or you might say, he is the Christ, he's our savior. But it seems to me that if you don't come to understand that he is God, you don't fully understand him and you don't really know him. I wanna talk with you if I may, this evening about the subject, Jesus is God, and we're gonna use a lot of scriptures and to kinda help us get through all the scriptures and cover all the material, we're going to have most of it out on the, the overhead, but you might want to have your Bible so you can look at a reference or maybe perhaps we'll say some things that you'll want to make note of.

And I think in hope that when we get through, there will be no doubt that Jesus is God and that the scriptures show that. And that you will perhaps have a greater appreciation even for God and what he has done for us. So lemme begin by just telling you first of all, that Jesus is God. And. I want us to first of all just point out and see that the New Testament affirms that Jesus is God.

I have a book that a Muslim wrote and in it, and he laid, converted, but he was saying Jesus never even claimed to be God, but that's not true. The New Testament certainly affirms that Jesus was God. I wanna begin in the Book of John in the first chapter in verse one, and this passage really just solves it all.

If you look at it, John one and one, John said, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. I suspect that it's taught in logic and if not in logic, I didn't, I didn't take logic, uh, but I took enough math that I learned that A is equal to B and if B is equal to C, then the equations we're working is A, is equal to C.

And it's quite evident as you look at John one, that the word that he's talking about is Jesus. Verse 14, he talks about how the word became flesh, and we understand that he's talking about Jesus, and so the word is Jesus. Secondly, the passage we have on the overhead shows that the word is God, and so that makes Jesus God.

If that is true, is A equal B and B is equal to C and A is equal to C, then you can show that Jesus is God. We'll come back to this passage in the end and talk a little bit more about it, but that's really just settles the issue. If you accept what he says, that the word was God. Look at some other statements.

This is John five, in verse 17 and 18 it says, but Jesus answered them. My father has been working until now and I've been working. Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God. Just notice what's said.

Jesus refers to God as my father, and they sought to kill him because they perceived that Jesus was making himself equal to God just by saying that God was his father. They understood that they, he was claiming to be God and making himself equal to God. I don't know that you can always equate son and father in the scriptures like we do.

But if a man has a son, is he not of the same nature? And if, if a man is human and has a son is not his son human also. And even though certainly the idea in the son of God is not that God. Had a wife and they had a son, and his name was Jesus. But still, he's trying to get across to us that he is of the same nature and he is calling himself the son of God, and they recognize in that term that he's making himself equal to God.

Equal, in this particular passage is from a Greek word, iso. It says it's similar in amount and kind, and so Jesus is claiming that he is equal to God. When he says the son of God, he's saying, I'm like God, and that means he's the same in kind and amount. Look, also, if you would to the Book of John in the 10th chapter in verse 31 through 33.

Then the Jews took up stone again to stone him, and Jesus answered them. Many good works I have shown you from my father, for which of these works do you stone me? The Jews answered saying, for a good work, we do not stone you, but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself equal to God. They considered his remarks as blaspheming that he is exalting himself or pulling God down in this case.

Pull him up themselves up. What is it that he's saying? They say, you're being a man. Make yourself God. Look back in 10 and 30 and you see what it was. He said, I am my father are one. From that statement, I and my father are one. They perceived, and rightly so, I think that he was making himself God. They thought, you're jaunting yourself too much or else you're bringing God down with that statement.

And so that's blasphemy, man. They, they wanted to stone him.

That's a statement in which Jesus, in essence are saying, I am God. They recognize that. Look again, it's this time to the Book of John and the eighth chapter in verse 58. Jesus said to him, most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was, I am. He'd been discussing with these people and uh, Abraham's name came up.

They were saying, we're Jews. We're at Abraham trying to say, we don't need you. Jesus answers by saying, before Abraham was, I am. And notice they take up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hit himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of them as and so passed by. Why is it when Jesus says, I am, they want Estonia?

Well, that is a statement that is just saying, I am. There's no I was or I will be in the future. It's saying I am. I've always been. It's a way of saying I'm eternal, that I've just always been, I have always been present is the idea. And you may remember back in the Book of Exodus in the third chapter and verse 14, that Moses comes to God and he's talking to God and he says, Who should I tell the people of Egypt that you are?

And God answered by saying, you tell 'em I am. And we understand in that passage that God was telling Moses, I'm eternal. I'm the eternal Father. And by the same token, when Jesus said to these people, I am, he was saying, I'm eternal. I'm not like you, that you. Just started or, or shall come to an end. I am, I'm eternal.

He says that's the reason they picked up the stones to s stone him, because again, they perceived this to be blasphemy. When he said, I am, they understood what he was saying, that, that I'm eternal. And they understood that that meant that he was equal to God in some way. And so again, they're gonna stone him if they can.

John the 14th chapter in verse eight through 10, Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father and it'll suffice. It is sufficient to us. Jesus said, have I been with you so long and yet you have not known me? Philip, he has seen me and seen, has seen the Father, or how can you say, show us the father. So how can you say, show us the father?

Do not believe that I am the fa. I am the Father. I am in the Father. The father's in me. Notice that he says, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. You couldn't say that the way Jesus did unless he's deity, unless he's claiming to be of the same nature as the father.

Matthew 26 chapter in verse 63.

This is Jesus before the priest, and it says, Jesus kept solid and the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, it is, as you say, he is not saying I am God in those words, but that's the question. Tell us if you are the son of God, tell us if you are equal to God.

And he says it is, as you said, he's affirming that. I am the son of God. Matthew 26 and 66. A little further down they say, what do you think? And they answered and said, he deserves death. Why did they say he deserves death? Well, just remember back what we've already talked about, how that when he said, I am the son of God, they said he's bla theming.

So this is the same thing. He is affirming, I am the son of God. They've asked him that and he's affirmed it. And so now again, they're saying, this is blaspheming. You're claiming to be God and they don't think he is. And so that's deserving of death. John 19 in verse seven, Jesus is before Pilate at this time, and Jesus answered him talking about Pilate.

We have a law, or, or excuse me, the Jews answered Pilate and said, we have a law, and according to our law, he ought to die because he made himself the son of God. And so again, Jesus has said, I'm the son of God. Fast forward a little bit until the gospel age and Stephen is preaching the gospel and they're stoning him.

You recall? Because he preached the truth. Notice what happens in Acts seven verse 59, and they stone Stephen, and as he was calling on God, now notice he's calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit in calling on God. He's calling on Jesus.

Look at Philippians two in verse five and six. Paul writes said, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. And so he speaks of him as being in the form of God. And he says, that's not, that's not robbery. He's not taking something that's not his, is the idea.

This, the form of God that's used is defined as strong as by a nature. And so when Paul says he is of the nature of God or the mind of God and and in the form of God, he is essence saying He is the very nature of God. He's deity, in fact.

You could point out that some of the writers point out that this is perhaps the, the clearest of all statements that he's deity saying that he is of the nature or the form of God. A little bit later in this same context, verse seven, I think it is, we're told that he humbled himself and became, um, a servant and.

Served us, but then says, because of that, when he died, Jesus or God highly exalted him. And one of the things he says in that passage is He gave him a name above all names. I challenge you to think, what would that name be? What name is above all names? Well, if you're thinking it's gotta be deity, I think you're thinking right.

We'll come back and say something else about that in a minute. Not only did Jesus claim to be deity and people called him deity and he accepted that, but he showed that he was a God by some of the actions that he took and by the things that he allowed to take place. One of the things is he accepted worship.

We don't have all the passages on the overhead, but Hebrews one in verse six, it tells us that the angels worshiped him when he came into the world. Matthew Qan, verse 11. The wise men came to him and they worshiped him on that occasion. Matthew eight in verse two. You have another man worshiping him.

Matthew 14 and verse 33, and Matthew 28 and verse 17. All of these passages talk about people worshiping him. And the last one, even his disciples, they recognized who he was when he after his resurrection and worshiped him.

You can find occasions where we are to worship God and him only Matthew four. You can find occasions where Peter told corn when he bowed down to him, he said, don't worship me, worship God. You can find where even John bowed in revelations to an angel and the angel tells him, stand up. Can't worship me.

God is the one that we worship. And if they worship Jesus, they thought he was God. If he accepted it, either he was God or he accepted something they just shouldn't. Not only that, but Jesus forgives sin. We have the occasion in Matthew, the fifth chapter where, uh, a paralytic is brought by his friends.

This is the case. You remember that they can't get to Jesus, and so they climb up on the roof and remove the tiles and let the man that's paralyzed down in front of Jesus. When Jesus says this, sees this, he tells 'em your sins are forgiven. And he recognizes that the crowd, uh, is taken back by him saying that they are, he's forgiven him of his sin.

So then Jesus says, which is easier to say, it's sins are forgiven or to, to say, arise and walk, but that you might know. He told man, uh, get up and walk, and the man did. But his whole point is he could forgive sins and the healing wasn't as great as his forgiving of sins, but he healed him so that he could see indeed, he had all the power and the.

Authority that he could heal and he could forgive sins in Matthew, or excuse me, Luke Thei chapter. This is the case that where, uh, Jesus is in the house of Simon Pharisee and there is a woman that comes in off the street that begins to wet his Jesus' feet with the tears and dry them with his her hair.

Anoints his feet with some precious oil. And Simon is thinking if he was really God, he would know that she's a sinner and he'd stop this. And Jesus perceiving his thought, said, Simon said, if somebody owes a great amount of money and somebody else owes even more and, and somebody forgives them of their debts, who's going to have the most?

He said, well, I suppose the one that has the greatest debt. And he says, you've spoken correctly. And then he pointed out, he said, since I came into your house, you didn't wash my feet. You didn't do anything to show hospitality. Particularly said, but this woman, this woman, has washed my feet with her tears and dried him with her hair and anointed me with precious oil.

Then he said, though her sins are many, they are forgiven. Jesus had the authority to forgive sins, but I can't forgive somebody's sins like that. I can forgive something personally against me, but I can't forgive their lifestyle and kind like Jesus is doing here, so that they'll never answer to God. About their life.

Again,

I want you to also to look at John 20 in verse 28. This is after the resurrection, and you remember that Jesus appeared to some of the disciples and they saw him, but Thomas wasn't there that day. So a week later, Thomas is there and Thomas has made the statement in between. I won't believe that Jesus is raised from the dead unless I can.

See him and put my hand in the side where the spear was and, and look at his hands and see the nail prints. And so here are the disciples gathered again. And Jesus appears in the, in, in the room. And he tells Thomas, he said, Thomas, touch my side. Look at it. Look at my hand. And I don't know if Simon. Had to touch him at that point or not, but I know he believed because his words are, Thomas addressed, the Lord saying, my Lord and my God, he recognized he was indeed my God.

He says, you know what's really significant about that passage that Thomas didn't just say, yes, Jesus, your Lord. But Thomas said, my Lord, my God, we not only need to come to understand that Jesus is God or that Jesus is Lord, but we need to look at all the evidence and we need to come up with the same thought that Thomas did Be my Lord Jesus, be my God.

Jesus.

Not only that, let me suggest to you the Old Testament passages declare Jesus to be God too. I have known this for some time, but I have been impressed with the number of times that I have found it in the Old Testament where Jesus is referred to under the term God or Jehovah, as we'll Talk about it in a minute.

For instance, here's Psalm 46 in verse six and eight. Your throne, oh God, is forever and ever a sacre of righteousness. It's the sacre of your kingdom. You love righteousness and have hate iniquity. Therefore, God, your God has anointed you with a oil of gladness more than your companions. Notice your throne, oh God, is forever and ever.

Septicum of righteousness is your kingdom. This is something that's eternal. Who's he talking about? Well, this passage is quoted in the book of Hebrews in the first chapter, verse eight and nine, and it's God the father that's being recorded saying, but to the son, he says, thy throne, oh God, is forever and ever.

You're not going to get much more than that. God of heaven, the Father is telling us to Jesus thy throne, oh God is forever and ever speaking to Jesus thy throne. Oh God is forever and ever. Therefore, God, your God has anointed you. He says, if you believe the scriptures, you can't doubt that he's God. Look at the book of Psalms in the hundred and second chapter in verse 25 through verse 27 of old, you laid the foundation of the, of the earth and heavens are the works of your hands.

They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, they will all grow old, like a garment, like a cloak. You will change them and they will be changed, but you are the same. Your years have no end. I want you to notice on this passage that it reads of old you and the works of your hands and thy will but you. And so he keeps saying, you, you, you, you.

But the question is, who is this you? Well, look back one verse. I said, oh my God, do not. Take me or take away. Take me away in the midst of the days. Your years are throughout all generations, he's talking about God. And if you look even closer, sometimes in that immediate context, he talks about, Lord all fell with capital.

But look at this. Hebrews the first chapter in verse 10 through 12, same context that we were in a while ago, where this is God the Father, saying something about the Son, and he quotes what we just read in the book of Psalms 100, second chapter, verse 12, saying, you Lord, and look at how he spells that Lord.

He's got it with capital letters. We'll come to this in a minute more, but when you're reading your Old Testament, If you read an American standard or something, oftentimes you'll see the word Jehovah. It's translated from Yahweh. And now more modern translations. Don't just use the word Jehovah, they use the word Lord.

Well, there another word for Lord, and so you might see the word Lord capital. You can see it. Capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. And if it's capitals, then that's that word, Yahweh. It's not just Lord, it's Yahweh. I grew up using the American standard. I changed when I got more into radio work because people were more familiar with the King James and they didn't suspect I was trying to pull some kind of.

Shenanigan on when I used the American standard, but I grew up and American Standard uses the word Jehovah for the word Lord, that Yahweh. I grew up though thinking that Jesus was Jesus and Jehovah was the God the Father, but through the grace of the Lord, I learned better that even the word Jehovah. Is talking also about the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as I said several times in this, you would find it talks about the Lord in context of Psalms 102. And then the Hebrew writer, though it's not that word, Yahweh, he does capitalize it, I think, showing that he thinks, or the translators were thinking, this is Jehovah.

Isaiah the seventh chapter in verse 14. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceived and bear son and it shall call his name Emmanuel if you've got eyes to see with. There's a little footnote there and if you could go back and hit that footnote and say that Emmanuel means God with us.

You can turn to the New Testament in Matthew, the first chapter in verse 23, where an angel appears to Joseph to tell him that the child that marries bearing is of the Holy Spirit and he says, behold the virgin and that this fulfill that prophecy. Behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel and he puts, which is translated God with us.

Here's an angel telling us that God is with us and he's talking about Jesus. Verse 25 says, you shall call this name Jesus.

It's gonna be awfully hard to deny that Jesus is God when he comes into this world to be called Emmanuel, which is to be said God with us.

Look at Isaiah the eighth chapter in verse 13 and 14. The Lord of host him, you shall holler. Let him be your fear and let him be your dread. He will be a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel as a trap and as a snare to an inheritance of Jerusalem. The question is, and notice he says the Lord of Host and he uses this as l o r D, all capitals, meaning this is talking about the one that we call Jehovah.

And then look, if you would, to the book of, and and that's just your, your words there. But then look if you would, and ask yourself, he says this, Lord. Going to be a stone of stumbling and a rock of fence. Do you ever remember reading in the New Testament about the stone of stumbling and the rock of fence?

Verse Peter two and verse seven. Therefore, to you who believe he is the precious. He is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone. If you're familiar with Ephesians, you remember, he talks about Jesus being the chief cornerstone, the foundation, and that's a quotation from the book of Isaiah in the 28th chapter where he talks about the stone, the foundation, and so it's applied then to Jesus, that part about being the chief cornerstone.

But not only that, but look at this text. It says, he says, he goes on, he says, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence. That passage in Isaiah the eighth chapter that's calling the Lord Jehovah. A stone of stumbling is quoted in the New Testament and applied not to God the Father, but to the son, which means he is also Jehovah.

Isaiah nine in verse six and seven. According to us, a child is born unto us. A son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor. Mighty God. I put that in red because not bad. Everlasting father, prince of the peace of the increase of the government.

And peace, uh, and peace. There will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish and judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forward or forever, the zeal of the Lord of the host will perform this. That's talking about Jesus. Most everybody will agree that, but you just about have to.

When he talks about upon the throne of David, he's going to sit. That's the prophecy that's been made about Jesus, that he would sit upon the throne of David. And there's New Testament passages that talk about this, but notice what else it says. He says. Mighty God. Here's an Old Testament passage talking about Jesus and says he is mighty God.

Now there's some people will say, well see, he's just a mighty God. We have passages that talk about the Father as being almighty God. Well, when you turn to the book of Isaiah chapter in verse 21, 24. You read a passage that is talking about God the father leading the children of Israel out of the land and so forth, and he calls him a mighty God.

You know, if my heavenly Father is a mighty God, I don't think I would consider it an insult when they say that Jesus is a mighty God. It again, is just to say he is God and he's powerful and mighty just like God the father. Or excuse me, Joel, the second chapter in verse 32, and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord and notice that again, this is Lord.

All capital letters, meaning calling on the name of Yahweh or Jehovah shall be saved or in the mountain of Zion, in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls. What's significant is that this passage is quoted by Peter on the Book of Acts in the second chapter on Pentecost, to say that that Pentecost, that was this being fulfilled, and now he says, whoever it is that calls on the name of the Lord shall be, shall be saved.

Well, in Acts two in verse 21, you have this passage. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And then Peter goes in and preaches about Jesus Christ, how that he was, he came and lived and he was crucified, how he was raised from the dead and how that he is Lord and Christ. But that's not the end of it because these people cry out when they learn that Jesus is Lord and Christ.

They say, what shall we do? And Peter says, repent and be baptized. Calling on the name of Jesus. Or in the name of Jesus Christ to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus. Now listen, to be saved, you've got to call on the name of God or to call on the name of the Lord. Why is Peter telling them, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus unless Jesus is Lord.

Interesting. When you look to the book of Acts in the 22nd chapter in verse 16, Paul is talking about his conversion and he says that Anani came to him and said, why tear thou rise and be baptized, calling on the name of of him. And so when you repent and you're baptized, that's the scriptures teach in the name of Jesus that's calling on the name of the Lord.

He is not talking about, all we have to do is just say, Lord, Lord, Matthew seven would say that's not true because he says, many will say, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesying thy name and do many mighty works? But I'll say to you, I never knew you. It's he that do it the will of God that should be honored. And so it's not just a matter of saying, Lord, it is a matter of calling upon him to save us.

And when you repent, You're baptized in the name of Jesus. You're calling on him. You're looking to him to be the Savior, but you're also calling on the Lord Jehovah. That's who Jesus is and who He's talking about. In this passage,

let me also suggest to you some.

Answers to some objections that are oftentimes raised. I quoted John one verse one or read it in the very beginning and I told you that settles it really that in the beginning was the word, knowing that that word became flesh. We know that it's Jesus. The word was with God, talking about God the Father.

There's two persons involved there, and then he says, The word was God, and that should clear everything up. But there are some, particularly the New World translation that says, originally the word was, and the word was with God, and the word was not the God or God, but a God. Their thoughts are that, that, yeah, you have God the father, but then you have this lesser person who's really not a God, but we call him a God.

Same word in the Greek, for he was with God as when it says he was God, but they say, nah, we're gonna put a in there.

One translation. You may find some others. Very few though, that would translate it a God. But I looked in the new King James King, James American Standard, new American Standard English Standard, revised Standard. Even the N I V and the Living Bible, and all of 'em say was God not the God or not a God rather.

And if you look at the Greek text itself, you'll find there's not an article there in front of God in that passage. Earlier there may be, but when he says the word was God, there's no article there, a and or anything like that.

Now they say, well, it's a grammatical reading. It's just a rule of grammar that when it comes like that, when you already have it named up here and now it's named again. You just have to translate it a well. There's some scholars like Robinson, if you're familiar with Robinson Word books or Met. Who's recognized as great Greek scholar.

They say that's not true. That's not so, and if it was true, the Jehovah Witness have a problem because look at how they translate God in these passages. John one six, he says, A representative of God. There's no article there, but they don't translate that one a God. They just say he's a representative.

It's a representative of God, one 12 to become God's children. Same thing. There's no definite article there, but they don't throw that in there and say, well, we've got to put an A in there. Now, John one 13 from or He born and from God, they don't put a God there. No man has seen God. They don't say, no man has seen a God.

Not very consistent. And then if you look at John 19 in verse 21 in particular, it's not talking about and using the word God, but you use another noun king, it says, however, the chief priest of the Jews began to say to Pilate, do not write the King of the Jews, but he says, I am king of the Jews. Now this one is very parallel to John one, one.

Even having the predicate before the actual subject like John one, one does in that last phrase. And so if they were gonna be consistent, they would say, right? Not that he is king, but he is a king of the Jews. So they didn't see any need to do it on that occasion. And so what you get is that Jesus was the Word.

The word was with God, and the word was God. Also, some will argue that Jesus is a creative being and they find passages like Revelations three 14, which says, in the beginning of creation or the beginning of creation, talking about Jesus. That sounds good. The beginning of creation. He's the first to be created.

Well, that's good. Until you look at that Greek word and find out, it can mean source. Isn't that what the scriptures teach us? Over and over and over that this world came into existence because Jesus created it. He is the beginning of creation. He is the source of creation. And then Ephesians the, or Colossians, the first chapter in verse 15, it talks about him being the firstborn of creation.

And so they say, well, you see that necessitates. Him being created, and it is just that he is the first of the creation. And then he went on to create everything else. Listen to Colossians one for a moment in verse 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him, all things were created on earth, visible and invisible.

Whether thrones or dominion or principalities of powers, all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things. And in him all things consist is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning firstborn of the dead. That in all things he might have the preeminence. That's the purpose of that.

Firstborn of creation is to say he created everything. He has more preeminence than they do, and you find occasions like where Abraham has ishmal and then he has Isaac, but Isaac is called the firstborn, and you have tribes of Israel. That wasn't the first one, but it's called the firstborn. It's trying to show that it's elevated and, and it received the preeminence, and that's what Jesus is.

But I wanted to show you something else. Jesus, we've already said is the I am. Which means I never wasn't. I'm always been here. There's no creating Jesus. He is God, he just is. He said that, and then you find in Revelation one 17, Jesus is the first and the last. What does he mean by first and last? I'll tell you that same phrase is used of God and what it talks about is that he just was, there wasn't anything that created him.

He just was. And if that's what it means when he talks about God, why doesn't it mean that when he talks about Jesus? Or in the book of Revelation, the 22nd chapter when he says the Alpha and Omega. And just keep in mind, Alpha's the first of the Greek letters and Omega's the last. And so again, it's the first and last, and that's his way of saying eternal wasn't created.

He's eternal. And Michael five two gives a prophecy of Jesus and talks about him being from old, from everlasting. Jesus wasn't created. He's always been as the son of God or as deity and as the word. Maybe you're gonna ask, what does all this mean? What difference does it make? Well, first of all, remember whoever be saved.

Confess or missed call on the name of Jehovah. If you're putting your trust in Jesus and he's not Jehovah, you wouldn't be saved. But if you are trusting Jesus as being Jehovah and you're calling upon him the way he talks about by repenting and being baptized, then it will save you. But secondly, let me suggest to you that.

By Jesus being God. It's like he said to Thomas, you've seen God because you've seen me. We haven't looked upon Jesus. He's been gone too long before we've been here. But we could say by knowing Jesus and how he acted and did we know how we need to act and do, I can look at the temptations that we studied this morning and I can see how Jesus answered the Satan on the temptation.

I can think that's the way I need to answer temptation with the word of God. I know Jesus. I can know him, and therefore I can know how God would act under circumstances like I'm under. And then doesn't it make you appreciate your salvation even more when you think about that, that person on the cross?

That wasn't just a good guy, that was God come down to earth, clove and flesh, allowing himself to be nailed to a cross so that I could have salvation.

Hard to comprehend.

But if we're just viewing that as just some man, I don't know that we're gonna make it. If we recognize that that's God that was on that cross in the flesh and that he's now back in heaven to make intercessions for me, plead my case before God the Father, what a precious thought that is. I hope that you've come to understand.

I doubt very seriously that many in this audience doubted that Jesus was God. But maybe you've got a better understanding of it. Maybe you could more defend the idea. Somebody challenge the idea that Jesus is not God. And I'll tell you that in our world, we're gonna have more and more people that are going to rise up to, to say that he wasn't really God.

And so we're gonna need to learn to show and convict the gains sayer, but mainly this evening. That was God on that cross and he died so that you could be saved. If you'll call on his name and you call on his name by repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus, rising up the walk in union of life, and you can call to him in prayer if you've already done that, but gone astray because he's God, he can hear you and he can forgive you.

So because he's, God, we all could leave here with the hope for salvation this evening. If we'll disclaim it, you're subject and we can help you. We invite you to come as together, we stand and same.