Would you turn back to Luke chapter
22? While you're turning there, I got a text from Dwayne this
morning that he's got pneumonia. He was in the hospital, so everybody
remember him. He just went there this morning,
evidently. Verse 70. Then said they all Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, ye say
that I am. And the word that is many times
in the New Testament translated because that. You say that because I am. I feel as though this will be
the most important message I've ever brought. I hope I feel that
way about all of them, and I don't want to give hype, but I feel
that this message is the most important message I'll ever bring. I've entitled this, Art Thou
Then the Son of God? Go back to verse 63. And the men that held Jesus mocked
him and smote him. And when they had blindfolded
him, they struck him on the face and asked him saying, prophesy,
who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously
spake they against him. And as soon as it was day, evidently
this had gone on all night long. And as soon as it was day, the
elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes
came together. They came together all right,
just like the early church Said they would, in Acts chapter four,
the kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered
together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a
truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou has anointed
both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people
of Israel were gathered together to do. whatsoever thy hand and
thy counsel determined before to be done." Everything that's
taking place right now is because he willed it to take place. They were gathered together and
they led him into their counsel saying, are you the Christ? Tell us. And he said unto them, if I tell
you, you won't believe. He could say yes, and they would
reject it. They didn't believe he was God's
Christ, God's Messiah. And if I also ask you, you won't
answer me. You can't give me an answer,
nor let me go. But hereafter shall the son of man sit on the
right hand of the power of God. Then said they, oh, art thou
then the son of God? And he said unto them, you say
that because I am. He didn't say yes. He said, you
say that because I am. That's God's name. I am the self
existent one. You remember in Exodus 3, 14,
where Moses said, who shall I say sent me? I am that I am. Tell them that I am as sent thee. Now what that name of God means
is I am without needs. I am utterly independent. I have life in myself. I'm dependent
on nothing because I am God. Are you the son of God? Mark's
account actually says, I am. I am. And then their response,
verse 71, and they said, what need? we any further witnesses. Matthew's account said he's guilty
of death. We've ourselves heard of his
own mouth. We've heard this blasphemous
statement about himself. I am the son of God. He's worthy
of death. We don't need any more witnesses.
Now, when he made this claim, are you the son of God? I am."
What is meant by this? A lot of people would be called
sons of God. A lot of people would be called
this, but what did he mean by this when he answered, I am? Turn with me to John chapter
five. Verse 17, but Jesus answered
them, my father worketh hitherto and I work. What he does, I do. Therefore, the Jews sought the
more to kill him because not only had he broken the Sabbath,
but said also that God was his father making himself what? Equal. with God. You mean to say to me that you
are equal with God? Look in John chapter 10. He said in verse 30, I and my
father are one. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. Jesus answered them, many good
works have I showed you from my father. For which of these
works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying,
for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, because
that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. He is called five times in the
Gospel of John, the only begotten Son of God. One word in the Greek,
the only begotten Son of God. Now this is a mystery. That's
revealed in the scriptures that we would never know. Would anybody
look at the creation and say, God has a son? You'd never do
that. The Bible reveals he is the only
begotten son of God. Now this beginning is not an
event of time, but a fact irrespective of time. The Christ did not become,
but necessarily and eternally is the only begotten Son of God. There are many sons, but only
one only begotten Son. He is the sole representative
of the being and the character of the one who sent him, the
only begotten son. We read in John 1 18, no man
has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which
is in the bosom of the father that speaks of the near dear
relationship between the son and the father. the only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared
him. Turn with me for a moment to
Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews one. Beginning in verse one, God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son. Who? he hath appointed heir of
all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who, being the brightness
of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, When he had by himself
purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high. Now that's who we're speaking
of. Turn to Colossians chapter one. Verse 15, who is the image of
the invisible God? What does God look like? Jesus
Christ. So much so that he said, he that
has seen me hath seen the Father. He is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created. that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things and
by him. All things consist. All things
are held together. You know the reason you just
now breathe? It's because he willed it. And if he wills it,
he can take that breath away. He's in absolute sovereign control
of everything. And he, verse 18, is the head
of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead. that in all things he might have
the preeminence, for it pleased the Father that in him should
all fullness dwell. You know, it was the Son who
said, let us make man in our own image. It was the Son who
said, I was set up from everlasting. I love that story in Daniel chapter
three when Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego are thrown into
the lion's den bound by King Nebuchadnezzar because they wouldn't
worship his idol. And we read in Daniel chapter
three, then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose
up in haste and spake to his counselors. Did we not catch
three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and
said, true, O king. He answered and said, lo, I see
four men, loose, walking, and the form of the fourth is like
unto the Son of God. This is the child that was born,
but the Son who was given. This is the one who appeared
to Moses in the bush, that burned and could not be consumed. I
am that I am. We read in Mark 1 verse 1, the
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Luke 1 35, that holy thing. The angel couldn't even think
of a name to call him. Holy thing that shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God. Out of Egypt have I called
my Son, that's why I came. Upon his baptism, the Father's
testimony, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Not with whom I'm well pleased,
but in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. And Satan was listening at that
time. And directly after that, during the temptation, Satan
said to him, if thou be the Son of God, if thou be the Son of
God, if thou be the Son of God, three times. You know, I've heard
people say Satan's greatest attempt to tempt you is to make you believe
you're not a son of God. Tell you what, the best thing
that could happen to a lot of people is to find out they're not sons
of God. But here's one who is the son of God, and he was calling
that into question. You know, the demons knew he
was the son of God. What have we to do with thee,
Jesus, thou son of the most high God? Art thou come to torment
us before the time? They knew he was Christ. Every one of them did. In Matthew chapter 16, he said
to his disciples, whom do men say that I am? And they said
some pretty good things. Jeremiah, one of the prophets,
but whom say ye that I am? Now remember, this is God's issue. with me and you, who do you say
his son is? I'm not asking you what you think
about yourself. What you think about yourself
really is not very important at all. Whom say ye that I the son of
man am? Peter said, thou art the Christ. the Son of the Living God. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Thou art
Peter, and upon this rock, this confession of me, who he is,
the Christ, the Son of the Living God, upon this rock will I build
my church. and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against him. His confession is gonna bust
the gates of hell wide open and pull out every one of my legs. That's exactly what that means.
John chapter six. The Lord had preached the message
that caused the entire crowd to leave him. And as he watched
them go away, that's one of the most sobering things in the scripture.
From that time, many of his disciples went back. They withdrew themselves
and walked no more with him. And he didn't ask him to come
back. He looked at the 12 and said, will you also go away? Peter gives us that glorious
answer, Lord. To whom should we go? It's not
like we have an option. Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God. And the Lord looked at him and
said, have I not chosen you twelve? That's why you believe that.
And one of you is a devil. You're the one that doesn't really
believe it, but that's why you believe. He didn't congratulate
him for that confession. He said, I've chosen you for
that. Turn with me to Romans chapter
one for a moment. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which
he had promised to for by his prophet in the Holy Scriptures,
concerning his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the
seed of David, according to the flesh and declared to be the
son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection of the dead. Now this is the one who's declared
to be the Son of God with power. He said, Father, the hour has
come. Glorify thy Son that thy Son
might also glorify thee. Now, they asked him this question.
Are you the Son of God? Now that is a yes or no answer,
isn't it? Are you the son of God? No. Are
you the son of God? Yes. That is a yes or no question,
but he does not answer this with a yes or a no. He answers it
with the name that goes only to God. I am. In John chapter eight, verse
24, I want you to listen to this scripture real carefully. If you believe not that I am,
you shall die in your sins. And do you hear what he said? If you believe not that I am,
you shall die in your sins. The woman at the well said, I
know that Messiah cometh who is called Christ. When he has
come, he'll tell us all things. And he answered, I that speak
unto thee, am. In John chapter 6, 35, he said,
I am the bread that cometh down from heaven. If any man eat of
this bread, he shall live forever. He said in John 7, verse 29,
I am from him. He is my origin and he sent me. He said in John 12, I am. the light of the world. The only light you'll ever have
as to how God can have anything to do with you by way of mercy
is me. I am the light of the world. He said in John chapter eight,
verse 23, you are from beneath. I am from above. He said in John chapter eight,
With regard to Abraham, verily, verily, I say unto thee, before
Abraham was, I am. In John chapter 10, verse 9, I am the door. Now what's the door for? It's
to let people in and to let people out. and to keep people in and
to keep people out. That's what a door's for. He
said, I am the door. He said in John chapter 10, I
am the good shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep. He said in John 11, 25, I am
the resurrection. The resurrection's not an event,
I'm it. Oh, think of that scripture in
John chapter 14, verse six, when he said, I am the way, not I'll
show you the way, I'm it. I am the truth, not I'll teach
you the truth. I am the embodiment of truth. I am the life. I'm the only life
that God can accept. You're going to have to be in
me. No man comes to the father, but by me. He said, you call
me master and Lord. And you say, well, for so I am. I love that passage in John chapter
18, verse five, when the crowd comes and he says, whom seek
ye? And they say, Jesus of Nazareth.
He says, I am. And they fall backward to let
them know that he's in complete control of this situation. In John chapter 19. Before Pilate,
Pilate said, I find in him no fault at all. The Jews answered
him, we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because
he made himself the son of God. Then was Pilate all the more
afraid. What have I got myself into,
I'm sure he was thinking. After his death in Matthew chapter
27, verse 54, upon his death upon the cross, now when the
centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the
earthquake and those things which were done, they feared greatly
saying, surely, truly, this is the son of God. Now here's my
question. Do you believe he is the Son
of God? You remember Peter from last
week. Upon his denial of Christ, He remembered Christ saying,
who so denies me before men, him will I deny before my father,
which is in heaven. As far as he could tell, he had
denied him. And if you would have asked Peter, Peter, are
you saved? I doubt it. Peter, did Christ
die for you? I doubt it. Peter, are you one of God's elect?
I don't think so. Peter, have you been born from
above? It doesn't look that way. Peter,
do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Yes, I do. Now let me remind you, faith
does not have anything to do with what you think about yourself. Faith has wholly to do with what
you think of him. Do you believe that he is God
the son? Do you believe that he's the
Lord? He's the Lord. That's not an empty title. It's
not like a landlord. I mean, do you believe he's the
creator? That means you believe He is in control of everything
that takes place. That means you believe He is
salvation. He's the Lord. Now, if you believe
He's the Son of God, listen to me real carefully. If you believe
that He is the Son of God, you believe He is able to save you. You believe because of who He
is, there's such saving efficacy and power in His death That that
is all that's needed to make you perfect before God. Who is
he that condemneth? Only one answer needs to be given.
It's Christ that died. It's who died. It's Christ that
died. Who can condemn me if Christ
died for me? There's such saving power and
efficacy in his blood. that if he died for me, I must
be saved. He's able. Now, what what this
is, this thing of faith, this thing of faith, it's not believing
you're saved. It's not believing anything about yourself. It's
believing he's a son of God. And he because of who he is,
is able to save you. I think of the leper, he understood
this. Lord, If you will, you can make me clean. The thief on the cross understood
this. He said, Lord, remember me. when you come back as a mighty
reigning king. I realize you're hanging on the
cross right now, seemingly so helpless and alone and forsaken,
but I know who you are. Remember when he said to his
buddy, don't you fear God, seeing you're in the same condemnation?
He was talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, how did he
know? Same way you know. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
this to me, but my father, which is in heaven, he's the Lord.
And the thief understood this. He knows you're not going to
stay dead. You're going to come back as a mighty reigning king. When you come, remember me. Turn with me to first John chapter
five. Verse five. Who is he that overcometh the
world? But he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God. Do you believe that Jesus is
the Son of God? And I'm talking about the God
of the Bible. I'm talking about the God who's absolutely sovereign,
who controls everything, almighty, immutable, independent. Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? Well, if you do, according to
this passage of scripture, you've overcome the world. You have
saving faith. You don't need to question that.
It's not about what you think about whether or not you're saved.
It's about whether you really believe that he is God, the son,
the second person of the blessed Trinity. I can't help it to think
of the Ethiopian eunuch. I bring him up a lot and I plan
on continuing to. What hinders me from being baptized?
If there's a reason why I shouldn't confess Christ and believers'
baptism, I wanna know what hinders me, what stops me. Philip said,
if you believe with all your heart, you may. And he said,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That is what
faith is. It is that simple. You believe He is the Son of
God, and if you believe He is the Son of God, you believe He
is able to save you. Turn to John chapter 9. Why did I say at the beginning
of this message that I believe this to be as important a message
as I've ever brought? I can tell you why I said that
because this is the truest definition of faith that you're going to
find in the Word of God. It's believing Christ is the
Son of God. Like those, you remember those
two blind men that came to him and he said, do you believe?
He said to these two blind men, do you believe that I am able
to do this? They said, yay, Lord. I turned
to John nine, beginning in verse 35. Jesus heard that they'd cast
him out. They excommunicated this guy who the Lord had given
sight to. And when he'd found him, the
Lord went looking for him and found him. He said unto him,
dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said,
who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said
unto him, thou hast both seen him, and it's he that talketh
with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him. Now what do people do when they
believe he's the son of God? They worship him. Now remember, you'll only worship
a sovereign. If you can control him or manipulate
him or get him to respond to you, you'll never worship. But
you'll worship a sovereign. Now here is the one issue between
you and God. What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? That is the one and only issue. What we believe is predicated
on who we believe. Now, let me repeat that. What
we believe is predicated on who we believe. I can remember Henry
Mahan making this statement, and I didn't know what he meant
at first, but I understand it now. He said you don't come to
Christ through doctrine. You come to your doctrine through
Christ. Now what does that mean? Can
you hear the truth apart from doctrine? Of course you can't.
Everything you say is doctrine. I mean, I've heard people, I'm
going to say something about this tonight, but I've heard
people say, I don't want to hear doctrine, I want to hear about Jesus. Well,
what can you say about the Lord Jesus Christ without it being
doctrine? Everything you say regarding him is doctrine. It's
the doctrine of God. And yes, we got to preach the
doctrine of Christ and the truth. But here's the point. You don't
study doctrine and study doctrine and study doctrine, and then
you arrive at a position. No, when Christ is revealed,
As the son of God, the doctrine becomes obvious. Nothing to argue over. I don't come to Christ through
doctrine. I come to my doctrine through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is he? That's the one issue
between me and God. What God thinks of me is seen
in what I think of his dear son. Do you believe that he is the
son of God? Beloved, if you do, that's what's
called saving faith. Let's pray. Lord, I ask in Christ's name,
that you would reveal yourself to each person here according
to your glorious will. And Lord, we do believe that
Jesus Christ is your eternal son. The one to whom you said, Thy
throne, O God, is forever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy kingdom. O Lord, how glorious He is. And Lord, we believe that He
is able to save us. Period. Lord, grant all of us
this faith that He is the Son of God. In His blessed name we
pray, amen.