Date: 05-09-2020

Title: Jesus Claims to be God

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 27:43 (ESV) He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
    Matthew 27:54 (ESV) When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

(O) bservation:
    Over the years many have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. Dan Brown in his book The
Davinci Code indicates that it was Constantine who declared Jesus as Divine. Many others have picked up on this theme. It is clear from this passage that those critics have never closely read the Gospels, that are eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry and teaching. In this passage it is clear that those who sought his death and the guards that oversaw his death recognized that He claimed to be God. There was no doubt in their minds and shouldn’t be any doubt in our minds either.

(A) pplication:
    In making a decision I will choose to listen to eyewitness testimony rather than testimony from someone far removed in years from the events. I must trust that Jesus was Who he claimed to be and that makes him different from every other religious founder or leader. C.S. Lewis makes the argument that Jesus is either God as he claimed or a liar or a lunatic. I choose to believe Jesus and will serve him as the Son of God. That gives Jesus the right to make demands on my life. I give myself to Him and will follow Him.

(P) rayer:
    Thank you God for sending your Son to die for me and to forgive my sins. Let me now live in the power of his resurrection. Let me share his sacrifice for others and point them to the one who was God incarnate. Amen