TEXT: MATHEW 4:16-17
INTRODUCTION: ‘Son of God’ is
a title emphasizing Jesus Christ
deity, his office as Messiah and his pre-eminence as the object of the church’s
faith and worship and as the content of its gospel. The New Testament employs a
variety of terms in its effort to define the personal identity of Jesus.
Strictly speaking, His name simply is Jesus (meaning “Yahweh is salvation”).
Recognition of His messiahship quickly led His followers to call Him Christ (Christos is the Greek
equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah),
Christ Jesus, and the more common Jesus
Christ. In addition, He also is called:
Lord, Son of Man, Son of David; and “I
AM”-an apparent echo of the
unutterable divine name (Exodus 3:14). All of these titles make exalted claims
for the Man from Galilee. For many Christians, though, Son of God is the most familiar term used to identify Jesus. There
is power in the confession that Jesus is the “Son of God,” but what does it
mean?
A. What Does “Son of God” Mean in the Bible?
The phrase “Son of God” has different
meanings in different contexts in the Bible. The first sense, which most Bible
scholars see as its most common meaning in the Gospels, is simply a messianic
title – more 0r less equivalent to “Messiah,” “Son of David”, or King of
Israel.” (Carefully study Matthew
26:63-64; John 1:47-51; John 11:20-27; and John 20:31). The origin of this
term as a messianic title comes from
2Samuel 7 and parallel passages in 1 Chronicles 17 and 22. David wanted to
build a temple for the Lord, but the Lord promised to raise up a descendant of
David who would build an eternal temple and
whose throne God would establish forever.
God says of this future messianic rule: “I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take away my
love from him” (1 Chronicles 17:13).
B. God the Son!
John 1 says the Word of God was eternally
with God and is God, and that through God’s Word all things were created, and
that this Word was manifested in Jesus Christ, and that we have seen His glory.
In verse 18 it adds: “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 then used the term “Son” in this sense in several passages.
In John 5:18-26, Jesus says that everyone
should “‘honor the Son just as they
honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who
sent him.’ ” This passage also
affirms that by talking about His relationship with God in this way Jesus was
“making himself equal (or identical) with god.” In John 10:30, Jesus says, “‘I and the Father are one.’ ” And in
John 14:9, Jesus says, “‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’" TO
be continued! Meanwhile, live like Jesus on earth. Maranatha!
Discuss John 14:9
MEMORY VERSE: … Truly,
this man was the Son of God (Mark 15:39b).
Church of Eternal Life Jos- Plateau state
