Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Focus on v9-10: Believing and Confessing
• Christianity is a confessing religion
• We are to speak of Him and for Him
• Our heart faith and trust is expressed in what we say
• Some are great in confession, some great in doctrine, some great in phrases
• Yet their confession contradicts what they say they believe
• Some do not tell others but this is wrong
• Christians believe and confess the gospel
• Two phrases:
1. Jesus is Lord
2. God raised Him from the dead
• In these two phrases we have the four major points of the gospel
1. The Humanity of Jesus
2. The Deity of Jesus
3. The Death of Jesus
4. The Resurrection of Jesus

The Humanity of Jesus

• History assures us of Jesus existence
• Jesus had emotions and needs
• He died
• Was a carpenter
• A prophet and a radical teacher
• He was gracious and kind

The Deity of Jesus

• He referred to Himself as the Son of Man
• No fault could be found in Him
• The perfect and sinless Son of Man
• The prophecy of the Son of Man [is fulfilled in Jesus]
• Do you accept this?
• Christians confess Jesus is Lord
• He is Lord
• He is the eternal Son of God
• He is the second person of the Holy Trinity
• Declared by the angels and the apostles as Lord
• Some considered this as blasphemy
• He proved in His ministry that He was Lord
• He had authority over demonic powers
• He performed miracles
• He had control over nature
• He could heal the sick and raise the dead
• The mystery of Jesus incarnation - the mystery of the Lord
• Have you seen Jesus' deity?

• This is what we believe and confess: Jesus is Lord
• Do you believe in this in your heart?
• Does your life confess this?

The Death of Jesus

• He was buried and died but God raised Him from the dead
• We can understand a man dying
• When we understand He was God it pus calvary into the mysterious
• The death of Jesus was:
• Planned by God in eternity
• Shown in pictures in the Old Testament
• Predicted by the prophets
• The four gospel writers make clear that Jesus was sent for this purpose
• It is an unavoidable event
• Peter realised that Jesus was his sin bearer
• By the death of the Lord Jesus we have our redemption
• We have been justified by His blood
• We are declared righteous by His blood
• We are reconciled to God through Jesus' death
• Have you trusted in the blood of Christ?
• Example re Muslims
• Example of conversation with a Muslim re the centrality of the death of Jesus to our salvation

The Resurrection of Jesus

• This was an act of God's power
• It shows that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was accepted
• God showed that He accepted Jesus' sacrifice
• It was an affirmation by God that Jesus was His Son
• Confirmed at His baptism and resurrection
• Transformed His disciples
• Became bold witnesses
• Became powerful preachers
• Became assured of the hope of eternal life
• We are called to confess this
• Baptism is a place that we can openly declare our faith in Jesus
• Are we living as we are 'raised from the dead'?
• Are we living as those who identify with the resurrection?
• Are we really living out our baptism?
• Are we maintaining this new life?
• Are we living out this new life?
• Do we know resurrection power?
• The same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead lives in us
• Are we living in the fullness of this power?
• Do we pray daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
• Christians grieve at funerals
• Not as those with no hope
• But as those with the assurance of being raised from death to eternal life
• Not an arrogance but a holy confidence

Closing Remarks

• v9-10
• Prayer