The Hero of Our Story: The Son of God

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”

Now, C.S. Lewis was not the first to throw this out there for our consideration. In 1936, Watchman Nee made a similar argument saying a person who claims to be God must belong to one of three categories: First, if he claims to be God and yet is not, he has to be a madman or a lunatic. Second, if he is neither God nor lunatic, he has to be a liar, deceiving others by his lie. Third, if he is neither of these, then he must be God. You can only choose one of the three possibilities. If you do not believe that he is God, you have to consider him a madman. If you cannot take him for either of the two, you have to take him for a liar. There is no need for us to prove if Jesus of Nazareth is God or not. All we have to do is find out if He is a lunatic or a liar. If He is neither, He must be the Son of God.

This is what we believe. We believe Jesus is the Son of God. This is who He is. And He is the Hero of God’s Story… our story. And if there was ever a time when we needed a hero, its now! If there was every a time when the world needs to know there is a Savior who loves them unconditionally, its now. If there was ever a time when we have the opportunity to give hope, to bring peace and spread love, it’s now.   You see, there is a Hero who came to reconcile enemies, to remove hatred, and restore everything and everyone. And that Hero is Jesus, The Son of God. The Son of God; the second person of the trinity who came to us and showed us what God is like; who showed us how to love our enemies and to forgive those who sin against us; who showed us the way of truth and lived a life full of grace and compassion and love. The Son of God who loved us by giving up His life for us on a cruel cross so that we might share and enjoy the same kind of relationship He enjoyed with the Father… Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Hero of Our Story. Why? Because now that the Son has come and died for us, we can know God as our Father. And if you know God as your Father through faith in Jesus Christ; you don’t just have forgiveness; you don’t just have a Father who loves you… you have a story to tell.

We, like those first followers must tell the story of Jesus: Who Jesus is, How Jesus Lived, What Jesus Taught and What Jesus Did. Last week we began to dig into the reality of who Jesus is. How He came to us as the human face of God. If you want to know what God is like all you have to do is look at Jesus. Jesus is also the Creator of all things. He created everything. Nothing exists apart from His creative power. You and I exist because we were created by Him. But what is truly amazing is that we were created for Him. And that means every single person drawing breath today has eternal value. But not every person knows who Jesus is.

So it is imperative that we learn who Jesus is. And so today we are going to focus on Jesus’ core identity in the gospels: Jesus’ identity as God’s One and Only Son. He is not a liar, nor is He a lunatic. He is the Son of the Living God. In fact, almost every person who encountered Jesus identified Him as God’s Son.   Let’s start there.

1.JESUS Is Called The Son of God!  This is how John, who introduced us to Jesus last week as the human face of God, now identifies Jesus as God’s Son. John calls Jesus “The One and Only Son” No one has ever seen God, but the One and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18 Like Father, like Son! When Jesus came to us, he made the Father known. He bore the family resemblance. He acted like the Father, loved like the Father, taught like the Father.   That is why Isaiah said that Jesus would be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father. Because everything about the Son reveals to us what the Father is like.

And so Jesus begins his ministry and early on meets Nathanael and says of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” With this revelation we see that Nathaniel calls Jesus “the Son of God” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” John 1:49   This is a pretty startling revelation from a young man who is known to never exaggerate, lie or deceive. He calls Jesus, the Son of God.

Now, its one thing for Jesus’ disciples to call him the Son of God. But now look who else calls Jesus the son of God: Satan calls Jesus “the Son of God” In Matthew chapter 4, when the Spirit of God leads Jesus into the desert to be tempted, we learn that The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3   Satan tried to get Jesus to use His divine nature to satisfy his hunger. But Jesus didn’t fall for his trap, and answered him, saying, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Next we see that Demons call Jesus “the Son of God” In Matthew 8, Jesus encounters two demon possessed men, “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Matthew 8:29 These demons never questioned Jesus identity. They knew exactly who He was.

But now my favorite identification of Jesus as the Son of God comes from the Father Himself: God calls Jesus “My beloved Son” In Matthew 3, after Jesus comes up out of the water after being baptized, we read: And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

All throughout the Gospels, time and time again, Jesus is recognized as the Son of God. He is not just an ancient Rabbi. He is not just another prophet. He is the Son of God.  But what about you? Can you say that Jesus is the Son of God? If so, then that says something significant about your faith. Let me share with you what I mean. In Matthew 16, Jesus gives this question to his disciples: “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. Matthew 16:15-17

If you can say without question that Jesus is the Son of God, you did not come to this conclusion on your own. Like Peter, God had to open your eyes to reveal Jesus’ core identity to you… This a good reminder for us when we are sharing the story of Jesus. It is our privilege to share the story, but ultimately it is God who makes Jesus known as His Son. That’s why God gave us His Word. For all of Scripture points to Jesus. And that’s why immersing ourselves in the story of Jesus is so good for us. Because the more we look at His life, the more God will open our eyes to see how amazing Jesus really is! And that leads us to our next point. And that is this:

2. JESUS Lived as The Son of God  This was his core identity. All Jesus said and did came out of the core of His identity as God’s Son. When confronted by the religious leaders after he heals a man on the Sabbath. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19 In John 12:49 Jesus says, For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. John 12:49

When you then look at how Jesus lived, everything he said and did was tied up in his relationship with His Father. Jesus spoke the Father’s words and did the Father’s works. They were on the same page with everything. Jesus even said, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus and the Father were tight! They were close! And this is the very kind of relationship Jesus wants for us. Listen to his prayer in John 17:20-21, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

Jesus was in tune with the Father’s heart. And the Father disclosed everything to Him. That’s why after spending 3 years with his disciples Jesus said this: I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

That’s the definition of intimacy. We share everything with the one we love. That’s what Jesus had with the Father. That’s what He wants us to have with Him. And that’s why, once you come to faith in Jesus Christ, your core identity is the same as Jesus’ – as God’s children! This is what Paul writes about to us in Romans 8: The Spirit you received does not make you slaves again to fear; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16

This is how Jesus lived, as God’s Son. And this is why Jesus prayed we would live just like Him. So we might know God the Father, just like Him. This is why Jesus is the Hero of our Story and why Jesus is such good news. We can now call on God as “our abba” “our papa” We have the same access to the throne of God. God is attentive to our prayers because, like Jesus, we are His children. Jesus lived as the Son of God.

And this is ultimately why Jesus was opposed, arrested and ultimately condemned to die on the cross. For…

3. JESUS was Condemned for claiming to be the Son of God When we look further into the story of Jesus, it was Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God that forced Pilate’s hand to hand Jesus over to be crucified. On the night Jesus was betrayer, he was also falsely tried and sent away to be flogged and brought back to Pilate. But then, when Pilate found no basis for a charge against Jesus, The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” John 19:7 You see, Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” And so bowing to political pressure, Pilate washed his hands of Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

Now the irony of this is that Jesus was innocent. He was the Son of God. Listen to how He was mocked on the cross by the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Matthew 27:42-43 Then, as the cruel cross did its work, there came the moment of his death, and God’s Word tells us that Jesus gave up his spirit. And then At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life… And then come these words of the Roman Centurion: When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54

And so Jesus was buried and orders were given to secure the tomb. Pilate had heard of what Jesus had said, “That after three days I will rise again.” So the tomb was sealed and guards were posted. As far as Pilate was concerned, this would be the end of Jesus and the talk of him as the Son of God. But then the morning of the third day came, and with it a violent earthquake, and an angel of the Lord came and rolled back the stone. Jesus, the Son of God, rose from the grave, leading us to the final piece of the story spelled out to us by the Apostle Paul:

4. JESUS is Declared the Son of God by His Resurrection Listen to these powerful words penned by Paul: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 1:4

You see the story does not end at the cross, it begins anew at the tomb with Jesus rising from the grave, just as he predicted. This is why Jesus is the Hero of our story. Evil could not destroy him, death could not hold him, and because death could not hold him, there is a power greater than death – and that power is life – the very life of God found in the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.

His resurrection proves that He truly is the Son of God. His resurrection means that He has conquered sin and death. And what that means for anyone who puts their trust in Jesus, the Son of God, is this:

• Your sins are forgiven
• Your judgment has been removed
• And your life has been reconciled to God
• Because once you put your trust in the Son of God…

His resurrection life becomes your life!

This is why Jesus is the Hero of our Story. And why we have a story our world needs to hear. The Bible clearly reveals that Jesus is the Son of God.   He is not merely a good moral teacher; He is not just another prophet; He is not a liar nor a lunatic. That’s why the same question Jesus asked years ago, must be asked again and again today:   “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Can you say with complete confidence that Jesus is the Son of God? If you can, then this is what God says about you: If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 1 John 4:15