I invite your attention to the
book of Hebrews, chapter 1. The epistle to the Hebrews, chapter
1. We're not absolutely certain
who penned this epistle. Generally thought to have been
Paul the Apostle. I would not doubt it. It is a
general epistle, not written to any specific person or any
specific church. And it sets forth throughout
this epistle the superiority of Jesus Christ over angels,
over prophets, over priests, over kings. He's the superior
one. Now, last Lord's Day, we commenced
the message. We did not finish it, but we
commenced it, the subject being Jesus Christ's deity declared. I'm going to read my text again,
and then we'll come to the message. and continue today where we left
off last week. Now remember, we're considering
the superiority of Jesus Christ. The writer speaks of God's relationship
to his angels in verse 7, and then he says in verse 8, But
unto the Son, that would be Jesus Christ, He, God the Father, saith,
Thy throne, O God," consider this is God the Father speaking
to Jesus Christ and He addresses Him as God. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness
and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And God the Father said something else of Jesus Christ. Thou, Lord,
in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, meaning
that Jesus Christ is the divine Creator of all things. And the heavens are the works
of thine hands. They shall perish But thou remainest,
for Jesus Christ is imperishable. They shall all wax old as doth
the garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, which
only God can do. And they shall be changed, but
thou art the same, immutable, and thy years shall not fail,
because you are eternal." Folks, listen. Can there be Can there
be a stronger declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ in
what we just read? And consider, it comes from God
the Father. Now you have the outline there
before you in the synopsis. There are copies back on the
table as well if you need them. We will not here and now set
forth scriptural proofs of Jesus Christ's deity. That subject
is far too voluminous for this short message. However, we will
consider declarations of Jesus Christ's deity found in the Holy
Scriptures. These declarations of his deity
are from, first, God the Father, second, the Holy Spirit, third,
Jesus Christ himself, fourth, Jesus or Jehovah's prophets and
apostles, fifth, the gospel of Jesus Christ and sixth Jehovah's
people. We. We. Jehovah speaks of us
as his witnesses. You are my witnesses, he says. We are Jehovah's witnesses and
we declare this deity of Jesus Christ. Well, we should. I mean,
if God the Father does it, and he does, if the Holy Spirit does it. And
remember, the Holy Spirit is the author, the divine author
of the entire Holy Scriptures. He speaks of the fullness of
God's deity and divinity being in Jesus Christ. In Him, all
the fullness dwells. Folks, that is a declaration
of deity and of divinity. Deity is whom God is. Divinity is what God is, and
the fullness of it is in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ declared his deity. He who has seen me has seen the
Father, he says. And we give you the other proofs
as well. You can look at these on your own. We're not going
to go over too much of what we considered last week. We considered
last week also that Jehovah's prophets and apostles declared
Jesus Christ. They called him Emmanuel, which
means God with us. They called him mighty God, Adonai
Jehovah and Jehovah of hosts, the everlasting or eternal Father,
my Lord and my God, Christ eternally blessed God, amen. Our great
God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the true God
in eternal life. God was manifested in the flesh. These are all declarations made
by Jehovah's prophets and his apostles. I'm not arguing with them. No,
not this one. They're right. They're right.
The deity of Jesus Christ. Now we come to consider the fifth
point. The gospel declares Jesus Christ's
deity. If you have the synopsis before
you, you can read the text. I've put it there, John 1, verses
1-3. Now let me explain something
to you about John 1, verses 1-3. There are four gospels. Matthew begins his gospel by
setting forth Jesus Christ as the son of David and the son
of Abraham, and he does it by giving his genealogy, his family
tree. Mark does not give us too much
of an introduction to Jesus Christ except with declaring the beginning
of his ministry. also begins somewhat with the
birth of Jesus Christ, describing the conception of John the Baptist
and the conception of Jesus in the womb of the virgin and their
birth. John, he goes back further than
any of the other three. We may call John's prologue to
his gospel, chapter 1, verses 1 through 3, as the prologue
of all four Gospels. Now, here's what John says under
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the beginning was. Words mean
things. In the beginning was. When the
beginning began, something already was. In the beginning was. Was what? The Word. Now what
is a word? A word is a vehicle of communication. I've got thoughts on my mind
right now that I want to communicate to you. The only way that I can
communicate to you is with words. The words that I speak communicate
the thoughts of my mind to your mind. These are the words. When God wants us to know what's
on His mind, He sends the Word. Jesus Christ is the divine communication
from God. In the beginning was the Word.
He already was here when it all began. In the beginning was the
Word from all eternity. He is the expression of God's
mind. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God. Oh, before the foundation of
the world, before there was a man or woman, a person, before there
was an angel, before there were stars in the sky, rivers on the
earth, before there was anything, when this universe was nothing
but nothingness. There were two, actually three,
but two of them are here mentioned, the Father and the Word and the
Holy Spirit. But our emphasis is upon the
Word was with God. He speaks of himself in terms
like this in the Proverbs. He says, I was daily his delight,
daily his delight, before there was a world. The Father and his
Son, and his Son is his Word, and God is faithful to his Word,
and God's Word is faithful to God. In the beginning was the
Word, the Word was with God, And the Word was God. Wait a
minute, is that what that says? That's what it says! The Word
was God! Preacher, you just said that
the Word was with God. Now you're saying that the Word
was God. Well, no, I'm not the one who said it. God did. The
Holy Spirit did. The Word was with God. The Word
was God. God with God. But there's only
one. Only one God. Here are two persons
in the divine Godhead. The Word was with God and the
Word was God. Folks, that's the gospel. Along
with and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. So I have
a discussion. I've had this discussion a few
times. I have lived in places in the
Caribbean where a certain sect of people claiming to be witnessing
for Jehovah would come almost every week, well, at least once
a month. And I'd always invite them in. Now,
they would not stay long usually, but I was courteous to them.
Because I told him I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'd
like to talk about him. So on at least one or two occasions,
I read this text, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. Well, the man who's with me does
not, he says, no, that's not what the Bible says. No, I'm
reading it right here. My translation reads differently,
he said. So what does your translation
read? The Word was with God and the Word was a God. Oh. The Word was a God with another God. So how many gods do you have?
I mean, if the Word was with God and the Word was a God, there's
got to be more than one God. In your mind, you are not a monotheist. You do not believe in one God.
You've already told me there's two. How many others do you have?
And I can't get an answer to that question. I cannot get an
answer to that question. If Jehovah is God and Jesus Christ
is another God, there's more than one God. And yet the scripture
says for us there's only one God. There is. There's only one
God. Well, preacher, I don't understand
that. It's kind of deep and dark to
me, too, to be truthful. But that's what it says. The
Word was with God and the Word was God. Oh, there's more. There's more. Read on. He was in the beginning with
God. He who is God in the beginning
was with God and there's still more. All things were made through
Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. You mean to tell me that when
I read in the first opening scriptures In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. Is the gospel telling me that
Jesus Christ did it? Well, that's what it says. All
things apart from Jesus Christ, nothing was made. In the beginning,
when God created the heavens and the earth, He did it through
the person Jesus Christ. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. And God did so in the person
of the Word through whom all things were made and without
him nothing was made that was made. So I want you to know this. That's what the gospel says.
That's what the gospel says. The gospel says Jesus Christ
is God and the divine creator and he is eternal because he
existed as long as God has existed from all eternity. You cannot believe the gospel
of Jesus Christ. You may say you do, and I assume
I'm not speaking to anyone here in particular, but I'm speaking
of people in general. Do not tell me that you believe
the gospel if you deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Here in the
very prologue of the Gospels, what do we read? The Word was
God. It cannot be more emphatic than
that, my friends. It cannot be more emphatic than
that. There's only one God. And Jesus Christ is God and was
in the beginning with God. And that's what the Scripture
says. Now, again, as we said last week, God said it, that
settles it, we believe it. Am I right? Okay. Come now to the sixth point,
the sixth and final point. Jehovah's people declared Jesus
Christ deity, Isaiah 25, verse 9. It will be said in that day,
this is a prophecy, it will be said in that day, behold, this
is our God. We have waited for Him and He
will save us. This is Jehovah. We have waited for Him and we
will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. It will be said in that day,
that day is this day. God divides all time from the beginning of time to
the end of time. God divides all time into two
eras. and the line of demarcation between
them is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. You read or you can read in the
opening lines of the epistle of the Hebrews, God, who in former
times spoken to the prophets, or spoken to the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, Jesus
Christ, who is the Word, through whom the worlds were made. So,
all time is divided into two eras. Two eras. God, who in time past spoken
to the fathers by the prophets as in these last days. When did the times past end and
when did these last days begin? It's at the incarnation of Jesus
Christ when he's born. That's the line of demarcation,
the dividing line for all time. Here the prophet who was back
in that day, the time past, he says, it would be said in that
day, which is this day, behold, this is our God. Now I want you
to consider something for just a moment. Behold, this is our
God. If our God can be beheld, he can be seen. You cannot behold what you cannot
see. So my wife is coming to see me. So I go to the airport to meet
her and I'm holding out my hand and I hand it to her and I says,
Behold these flowers I got for you." Moose, there's nothing
in your hand. Yeah, there is. Just pretend. No, you cannot
behold what does not exist. You can behold what can be seen. Behold, this is our God. Our God can be seen. Now, not
by everyone. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. When the pure in heart look upon
Jesus Christ, they say, behold, this is our God. Others look
at him and say, doesn't look any different to me than anybody
else. Well, that's because the scripture
says, blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God. The pure in heart will look upon
Him and say, Behold, this is our God. We have waited for Him. This is Jehovah. He will save
us. Now I should add that this event
of the visible coming of God in the coming of Jesus Christ
was prophesied twice. Now here in Isaiah 25 verse 9
is the fulfillment of the prophecy. But it was prophesied twice in
that prophecy, in that book of Isaiah, and I put the references
there before you so you can read them right along with me. This
is important. Isaiah 35, verses 4 through 10. Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
be strong, do not fear. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save
you. Now watch what happens when he
does. Watch what happens when he does.
Then, when he comes, the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall
leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb or the mute shall
sing." When did that occur? When did that occur? John the Baptist was the forerunner
of Jesus Christ, probably born about six months before Jesus
was born. They were cousins, by the way.
John the Baptist He's the last prophet of the Old Testament
and the first preacher of the New Testament. The Old Testament's last prophet
and the New Testament's first preacher. He stands with one
foot in the Old Testament and the other foot in the New Testament,
as it were, and he preaches. And they put him in prison. Now he had said repeatedly, there's
one coming after me. He's coming, he's coming. There
he is! Behold the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. But then he sent some of his
disciples, who were believers by the way. John's baptism was
Christian baptism. He sent some of his disciples
to Jesus, and they asked him, are you the
coming one, or do we seek for another? Now, there's some debate
as to who had the doubt. Some say John in prison had the
doubt, and others say, no, John did not have the doubt, but his
followers had doubts, and I'm inclined to agree with the second.
But anyway, whichever. So John sends his disciples to
Jesus to ask this question. Are you the coming one? Are you
the one that John said would come? Or shall we wait for another? And so they come upon Jesus with
that question. All right. I put the reference
here in the middle of this quote of the scripture. And in verse 21, And that very
hour Jesus cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits,
and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them,
Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard. that the
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel to them.
And that was exactly what Isaiah had prophesied when he said,
Behold our God, when he comes, this is what he will do. Jesus
did exactly what Isaiah had prophesied. Furthermore, For water shall
burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert, as
when Jesus said, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the scripture said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water. Now back to the prophecy of Isaiah. The parched ground shall become
a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. In the habitation
of jackals were each laid, there should be grass with reeds and
rushes. A highway shall be there." What
highway? What is a highway, by the way?
It is a way that is high. You do not usually put roads
in the lowest spots you can find. You put them up where they're
not going to get deluged every time there's a little sprinkle.
You may have to raise the road surface in order to get it there,
but that's why you call it a highway. It is a road that's going to
be there when everything is flooded out around it. It's a highway. And a highway shall be there.
What is that highway? It's Jesus Christ, the only way
to the Father. It shall be a road and it shall
be called the highway of holiness. Why is it called the highway
of holiness? Because it's Christ. He is our highway and He is our
holiness. And this highway of holiness
can be traversed only by those who are in Christ and are holy.
Read on what the prophecy says. The unclean shall not pass over
it, but it shall be for others. who are believers in the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Whoever walks the road, although
a fool, shall not go astray. Meaning, once you get on this
road, you cannot get off. No exits. No exits. You cannot go wrong with this
road. No lion shall be there, nor shall
any ravenous beast go upon it. It shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there. Who are the redeemed? Those who
believe the prophecy. Behold, your God. And the ransomed
of Jehovah shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting
joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness
and sorrow and sigh shockly away. That's what will happen when
the prophecy is fulfilled Behold your God. Remember, you cannot behold what
does not exist and cannot be seen. If God can be beheld, he
can be seen. Second prophecy, Isaiah 40, verses
9 through 11. Oh, Zion, that's the church.
Zion was the fort, the strong part of the city in Jerusalem. Oh, Zion, you who bring good
tidings, get up into the high mountain. Oh, Jerusalem, you
who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength.
Lift it up, be not afraid. Yeah, we preachers are usually
loud. We are the town criers, as it
were. We've got something to say. We
want to make sure that everybody hears it. Lift up your voice
with strength. Let there be no one who does
not hear what you have to say, if you've got something worth
saying. What do you say? Behold ye God. Now that's what
I'm telling you this morning. I'm telling you, behold your
God. No, no, no. I'm going to lift
up my voice with strength and say, behold your God! He has come. He can be seen. Behold, the Lord God, Adonai
Jehovah, shall come with a strong hand. and his arms shall rule
for him. Did not Jesus have a strong hand? His hands were so strong he could
take a couple of pieces of fish and bread and feed thousands. His hands were so strong he could
reach out and touch a leper and not get contaminated. His hands were so strong he could
touch a man's eyes and he could see. And he rules, for the government
shall be upon his shoulder. Behold, his reward is with him.
Did not Jesus say in Revelation 22, verse 12, I am coming quickly
and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his
work? Did you see Every part of this prophecy has been fulfilled
in the coming of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will feed his flock like a
shepherd. He will gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who
are with yon. Is Jesus Christ not the good
shepherd? By the way, the word good there
means ideal. Is he not the great shepherd
of the sheep? Is he not the chief shepherd
and the bishop of our souls? When we read in Psalm 23 that
Jehovah is my shepherd, I shall not want. Folks, you're reading
about Jesus Christ. It is he that is Jehovah the
good shepherd, the shepherd of the sheep of God. He is the divine
shepherd. Now, that's the two prophecies. Isaiah 35 verses 4 through 10,
Isaiah 40 verse 9 through 11. Jehovah's people are therefore
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Did you catch that? Did you catch it? We are looking for the glorious
appearing of our great God. God who cannot be seen will appear,
will appear, and we're looking forward to it. Who is our great
God? He is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, we know we're going to see
Him, but when we see Him, we're going to see God. Blessed are
the pure in heart, For they shall see God. We are looking for the
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Some people are looking for end-time
signs. Some people are looking for the
rapture. Some people are looking for the tribulation. I'm in it. I'm not looking for
it. I'm in it. What I'm looking for is the appearance
of my great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He's going to come. Lift up your eyes. Your redemption
draws nigh. One of these days, the heavens will be rent. There's going to be a sight you
have never seen before. Here He comes. Here He comes. Just like He said He would. Lift up your eyes, your redemption
draws nigh. Here He comes. When He comes,
The scripture says that the wicked, the strong men, the mighty men
of the earth will see Him come and they'll call upon the mountains,
fall on us, fall on us, hide us. The Lamb is coming in His
wrath, cover us so that He does not see us. When He comes, I'm going to look
up into the sky And I'm going to say, behold you, God. Behold you, God. He has come. We're looking for the blessed
hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ. He will save us. He is our salvation. We will rejoice and be glad in
his salvation. Well, that's what I said, and
I'm sticking to it. I'm sticking to it. Jesus Christ
is God. God said so, the Holy Spirit
said so, Jesus Christ confessed so, Jehovah's prophets and apostles
said so, the gospel said so, I said so, and so does everybody
who believes in him. None but deniers of God and of
His gospel deny this deity of Jesus Christ. We who believe
in God and believe His gospel, we confess it. We confess it,
do we not? He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and
He is Lord. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Oh God, our Father, we're going to do it right now.
We believe your word. We're not going to wait until
some time off in the future and confess him as Lord. We do it
now. We do it now. Encourage our faint
hearts in fearful circumstances. Encourage us with the good news
that, behold, our God is coming and he will save us. To your
glory in Jesus' name we pray.