Now let's open to the text that I referred to a moment ago, Matthew chapter 3, where
we'll be looking at the last part of this chapter. When we think of the majesty of Jesus
Christ, some of his names come to mind immediately as expressing the grandeur of who he is. I
believe such is the case with this title, the Son of God. About 27 AD there was a report
that came to the populated areas of Judea that a rather strange looking and acting man
was out in the wilderness near the Jordan River, whose name was John. He was a man who
was just about 30 years of age, and he was calling the nation to repent, for the kingdom
of God was at hand, he said. He debated with the religious leaders regarding who he was.
He debated with them regarding the spiritual preparation that the nation needed. He knew
his role. He was the one that Isaiah, 700 years before his lifetime, had predicted would
come. The one who would prepare the way for the Lord. It says in verse 13, then Jesus
arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried
to prevent him, saying, I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But
Jesus answering said to him, permit it at this time, for in this way it is fitting for
us to fulfill all righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ was not a sinner in need of repentance,
and he desired this baptism of John so that he might identify with sinners who need to
repent, and so that he might ultimately go to the cross and pay the price for that sin,
and then be able to provide righteousness that sinners needed. After being baptized,
Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold the heavens were opened, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him, and behold a voice out
of the heavens saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And so the
Father spoke from heaven, giving public witness to the identity of the one being baptized
in the Jordan, and affirming his pleasure in this one being baptized. Once again at
his transfiguration, the Father spoke from heaven, giving similar testimony, and adding
on that occasion, listen to him. Peter was one of the three disciples with Jesus on the
mountain, and later as he remembered that occasion, he penned these words, when he received
honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the
majestic glory, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. And Peter continues,
we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
This is my beloved Son, the Father said, of Jesus Christ. There are two adjectives that
are used in the gospels to describe the majesty of the Son of God. One of them is used primarily
in the synoptic gospels, that is Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They're called synoptic because
basically they approach the life of Christ the same way, many parallel passages in those
gospels, each taking, however, a unique approach. In the synoptic gospels, the adjective beloved
is used of the Son of God, this is my beloved Son, all of the gospels say. That word expresses
the abiding affection of the Father for his Son. John, however, prefers another adjective
in his gospel. It is the adjective begotten, or only begotten as it is in some translations.
We see this, for example, in John chapter 1 and verse 14, where it says, and the word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from
the Father, full of grace and truth. And in verse 18 it says, no man has seen God at any
time, the only begotten God, or some manuscripts say, the only begotten Son who is in the bosom
of the Father, he has explained him. And three other times in his writings, John uses this
term to describe the Son of God, the only begotten Son of God. He uses it, for example,
in that familiar verse to most of us, John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son. That word means, literally, his unique Son, his one of a kind Son. It
has nothing to do with generation, everything to do with relationship and existence. In
other words, he is expressing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in a unique sense. In order
to underscore that, John does not ever call us who are saved the sons of God. The Apostle
Paul enjoyed using that term, but John, rather, used the term the children of God, because
he wanted to reserve the name Son for Jesus, because he understood the uniqueness of Jesus
as the Son of God, the only begotten, one of a kind Son of God. The majesty of Jesus
Christ is revealed in his identity as the beloved and only begotten Son of God. As we
think about that truth, I'd like to approach it from three different aspects. First of
all, let's understand that His Majesty as the Son of God is expressed over and over
again. It is expressed. It is witnessed to by a number of different groups. For example,
it is witnessed to by the angels. The angel, for example, that came to Mary and announced
to her what was going to take place, said, That holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called, what? The Son of God. And so the angels gave witness to the fact that
He is the Son of God. We have already seen in Matthew chapter 3 that the Father Himself
from heaven spoke and gave witness regarding Jesus Christ, this is my beloved Son. Likewise,
John the Baptist in his own witness regarding Jesus said the same thing. As he reflected
upon the baptism, he gave his testimony as the Apostle John records it in the Gospel
of John chapter 1. I'd like you to look at that, verse 29 in John 1, where it says, The
next day he, John the Baptist, saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. This is he, on behalf of whom I said, After me comes a
man who has a higher rank than I, for he existed before me. And I did not recognize him, but
in order that he might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water. And John bore witness
saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon
Him. And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, He
upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes
in the Holy Spirit. And John says, And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the
Son of God. And so we see the third witness comes from John the Baptist himself, This
is the Son of God, this one that I baptize in the Jordan River. Likewise, the demons
and the devil gave witness that Jesus was the Son of God. Though they did not want to,
though they did not worship Him, reluctantly nonetheless they had to admit that this one
is the Son of God. Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was driven by the Spirit out into the
wilderness, there to be tempted by the devil. And twice in those temptations, the devil
said to Him, If you are the Son of God, then do this. Now when he said if, the devil was
not doubting, he was saying, Since you are the Son of God, then prove it. He was challenging
Jesus to show forth who He was in a way that was outside the plan of the Father, and thus
be disobedient. So understand when he said if, he wasn't doubting, he was simply affirming,
Since you are the Son of God. Likewise, when Jesus would deliver demoniacs from their evil
possession, it was not unusual for the demons to speak to Him and to say, We know who you
are, that you are the Holy One, the Son of God. And sometimes Jesus forbid them to speak
any more about that, because it was not time for people yet to understand fully His identity.
The demons, the devil, they all give credence to this claim that He is the Son of God. We
see another witness in His disciples, going back to Matthew chapter 14. We see the first
time that the disciples used this term of Him. The disciples were alone in a boat. They
were in the midst of the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm came, and they saw Jesus
walking upon the sea. Although at first they didn't recognize that it was He, they thought
it was a spirit. But Jesus spoke to them on that occasion, and He said to them, Take courage,
it is I, do not be afraid. And Peter said, Lord, if it's really you, then let me come
to you on the water. I don't know about you, but I think I would have said, Lord, if it's
really you, come on over here. But Peter said, Let me come to you. And Jesus said, Come on.
And the faith of this man was put to the test, and he stepped out of the boat onto the water.
And he walked on the water. Jesus wasn't the only one who walked on the water. So did Peter.
Except he began to sink, probably because John was in the boat and said, Look out, Peter,
here comes a big wave. And he got his eyes off the Lord. And he cried out to the Lord
for help, and Jesus took him by the hand and got into the boat with them. The wind stopped,
and it says in verse 33, And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, You are
certainly God's Son. Now, though this was an expression that came from their hearts,
it seems to have been a shallow one, one that Jesus recognized that was not fully mature
yet. And so He kept working with them. And then in chapter 16, He asked them the question,
Who do people say that I am? And it is Peter who answers and says in verse 16, Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus responded and said, Simon, you are blessed,
because this has not been revealed to you by flesh and blood, not from yourself even,
but my Father in heaven is the one who has given you insight to understand who I am.
And so the disciples witnessed to the fact that He is the Son of God. His majesty was
expressed by the angels, expressed by the Father, expressed by the forerunner, John
the Baptist, expressed by Satan and the demons, expressed by the disciples. And we see in
Matthew chapter 27, it was further expressed by the enemies of Jesus. For the centurion
who was responsible for the crucifixion, when he saw the earthquake and the things that
were happening in conjunction with the death of Christ, this brave, courageous soldier
became very frightened. And in verse 54, His response to it all was this, truly this was
the Son of God. And so even the very one who was responsible for putting Jesus on the cross,
that soldier who then stood guard with his soldiers over the cross scene, that soldier
responded by saying, truly this was the Son of God. But there is one more who gave witness
that He was the Son of God, and that is Jesus Himself. And we see this so clearly in John
chapter 10. The majesty of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is expressed by at least seven
witnesses. And I close this portion of the message by pointing to Jesus' testimony himself.
Where in verse 36, Jesus, in speaking to the Jewish leaders who were wanting to stone Him
because He claimed to be equal with God, said to them, Do you say of Him whom the Father
sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming because I said, I am the Son of
God? Now you noticed in the context of His response to them, He quotes Himself as having
said, I am the Son of God. He does not deny that. He affirms on this occasion that in
fact that's who He was, that's what He claimed to be and who He claimed to be. And so we
see His majesty as the Son of God expressed over and over again. But there's a second
aspect we need to talk about and that is His majesty as the Son of God explained. Because
what does it mean when we say He is the Son of God? Two ladies came to my door a few weeks
ago carrying their bags of magazines who said they believed He was the Son of God too, but
they believed something radically different than I do and we quickly came to understand
that at my door as we had our conversation that morning. What does it mean when we say
that He is the Son of God? Well, it does not mean that He became the Son of God at some
point as they would teach. It does not mean that He became the Son of God at the incarnation.
There are those who say that Jesus became the Son of God when He was born in Bethlehem.
Isn't that what Isaiah said when he said a son is given? A child is born, a son is given?
Well Isaiah did say that, but when he said a child is born he was talking about Bethlehem.
When he said a son is given he was talking about Calvary. Jesus did not become the Son
of God at the incarnation. He did not become the Son of God at the baptism. Yes, the Father
spoke from heaven on that occasion acknowledging who He was, but that does not mean that He
became the Son of God then. He did not become the Son of God at His resurrection.
Declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, writes Paul
in Romans 1. But Paul was not saying He became the Son of God at His resurrection. He was
saying it authenticated, it demonstrated who He was, that He was the Son of God when He
was raised from the dead. You see the Son of God eternally existed as God the Son in
relation to the Father and to the Holy Spirit being one in essence. When we speak of Him
as being the Son of God we are not saying He is the Son merely as a title or that He
is the Son by virtue of an office. When we use the term Son of God we are speaking about
relationship. It is an expression of His oneness with the Father and with the Spirit. He is
not the Son in the sense of being inferior to the Father either. He is in subjection
to the Father in order to carry out the plan of redemption, but He is not secondary as
though He is less in deity. Our problems really with the terms Father and Son go to the root
of our cultural understanding of those terms. The Occidental idea of Father and Son are
these. The Father is the source. He is the one who is superior. The Son is dependent
and subordinate to the Father. But that is not the idea in the Semitic mind or the Oriental
mind. The terms Father and Son to those people mean likeness, sameness of nature, equality,
and I don't need to remind you that the Bible is written from the Oriental perspective.
We in our Occidental, our Western way of looking at things, need to be careful that we don't
bring our culture to the Bible and throw it upon it as we seek to interpret its meaning.
We have to understand the culture in which the Bible was written. So the terms Father
and Son refer to sameness, to equality, to sharing the same nature, to likeness. Actually,
the Bible speaks of five sonships that belong to Jesus Christ. Let me just list them for
you. He is called in the first place the Son of Man or the Son of Adam. We see this in
a number of places. This was the favorite term of Jesus for himself, the Son of Man.
It relates him to genuine humanity for the purpose of redemption. Secondly, he is the
Son of Abraham. We see this name of him in Matthew chapter 1, his genealogy. This title
relates him to the covenant with Abraham and to his seed. Thirdly, Jesus is called the
Son of David. Matthew 21 verse 9, other places. Hosanna to the Son of David, the crowds cried.
This title relates him to the royal line over Israel. A fourth sonship is that he is the
Son of Mary. He is called that in Matthew 1, 25. That relates him to the incarnation
accomplished by the virgin birth. And then the fifth sonship is this one that we're looking
at this morning, the Son of God. When we think of the sonship of Jesus Christ in this final
sense as the Son of God, there are at least two ideas that we need to keep in mind. We
need to understand that it involves relationship to the Father. That's the first thing. What
is that relationship? Well, it is an eternal distinction of personality from the Father.
That's part of it. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. There is a
distinction between them. And so as he is called the Son of God, that's part of what
it's speaking of, that distinction in the relationship to the Father. It also means
that he had an eternal pre-existence with the Father. In other words, he had no beginning.
The Son always was, just as the Father always was. It means that he is of the same essence
or the same substance as the Father. He partakes of the same nature. He does the same works.
He possesses the same attributes. He claims equal honor with the Father. So all of those
ideas are wrapped up in the Son of God with respect to his relationship to the Father.
But it's a term that also involves his obedience to the Father. Not only is there a distinction
of persons, there is the Father and there is the Son, there is a distinction of roles
for them in the majesty and the mystery of the Godhead. The Father has a role to fulfill.
The Son has a role to fulfill, as does the Spirit. And for the purpose of redemption,
the Son is in fact subordinate to the Father as he carries out the will of God. And his
obedience, his subjection to the Father is perfectly displayed in his suffering and his
death on the cross, according to Philippians chapter 2.
And so as we think of this wonderful title, the Son of God, that expresses the majesty
of Jesus Christ, keep in mind that it talks about his relationship to the Father and his
obedience to the Father. Those are the two key thoughts in that title, that name.
We want to look at this from a third and final aspect, and that is we want to expand upon
the bit. The majesty of Jesus Christ as the Son of God expanded. I want to enlarge upon
this theme as we consider the work that he came to do as the Son of God.
Now I've already read John 1.18. I hope that you remember that verse. It's the one back
in the Gospel of John that said, he is the only begotten God, or as some translations
say the only begotten Son. Hendrickson, a commentator writing on this particular phrase, says, the
reading the only begotten God instead of the only begotten Son is supported by the best
and oldest manuscripts. That's his opinion. Since the concept God implies eternity, it
is evident that the expression the only begotten God must refer to Christ's Trinitarian sonship.
All other types of sonship imply a beginning in time, irreconcilable with the idea of deity.
Besides, the added clause, who lies upon the Father's breast, indicates a relation of
abiding closeness between the Father God and the Son God. Because Jesus Christ is the Son,
in the highest sense of the term, he knows the Father thoroughly. Therefore it is he
who made him known. As the Son of God came into the world in the
first place, he came to reveal the nature of God. That is the heart of this term that
we looked at last Christmas season. Logos, the word, was John and Joyce using especially
in this prologue to his Gospel. In the beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word
was God. That title, logos, or word, means the expression of a thought. In other words,
Jesus Christ is the full expression of God's thoughts toward us. It doesn't mean that
everything that might be known about God is revealed to us. For there are many things
about God that we do not know, and in our finite state we cannot know. But all that
we need to know about God is expressed to us in the word. The only begotten Son who
has fully led the Father out into view so that we can see what God is like. That is
His Majesty, my friend. Because you see, He stands alone. He stands unique in all of the
population of the world, past, present, and future, as the revealer of God. There have
been those who have spoken on God's behalf as prophets. There have been those whom God
has used to write His word in this book for us. But it is the Son who uniquely, fully
expounds what God is like to us. What is God like? Look at the life of Jesus and find out.
See how He lived. See how He responded to people. See what He had to say. And you find
out exactly what God is like. God spoke in many ways and in bits and pieces, here and
there in times past, says the writer of Hebrews. But in these last days He has spoken to us
by His Son. And after that, you might put an exclamation point in your mind, because
it means that all that God is going to say has been said in Jesus Christ. The majesty
of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is that He is the revealer of the nature of the Father
to us, so that we know what God is like. A second work that He came to do as the Son
of God is to destroy the works of the devil. Turn back now to the first epistle of John,
1 John chapter 3. John says in verse 8, the one who practices sin is of the devil. For
the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that
He might destroy the works of the devil. As the Son of God, He came into the world to
destroy the works of the devil. In the context here, that means sin. Jesus Christ came to
deal with sin. He did that by going to the cross and paying the redemption price for
it. He did it by coming as the Son of God who was made the judge, who one day will judge
all sin. That He came to destroy the works of the devil includes the idea of judgment.
And upon those who continue in the devil's works in sins. This does not mean that Christians
never sin, but what this says is those who practice sin as a way of life, prove that
they're of the devil, because they have His nature and they do what He does. But it's
for that very reason that the Son of God came into the world to destroy the works of the
devil. Why was it that Satan desired to cut off the birth of Jesus Christ? Why was it
that he sought to tempt Him to disobey God? Why was it that he sought in some way to keep
Him from the cross? It was because he knew that as the Son of God, He came into the world
to deal with Him, and Satan didn't want to be dealt with. As important as the cross work
was the victory at the temptation. I have heard that from the mouth of a demon myself
on a tape recording in which a preacher was speaking with a demon that was possessing
a woman back in the early 60s. And in the course of this conversation it came out, although
demons lie very easily, that it came out that the defeat that this demon looked back to
was at the temptation. When Jesus successfully said no to Satan three times, and this demon
wept bitter tears as he conversed with this preacher before being cast out over the temptation
and the fact that the devil was not able to cause Jesus to succumb at that point. I think
we underestimate the importance of the temptation of Jesus Christ. For when he said no, no,
no to Satan, he broke the back of the devil. The beginning of the end had come. It was
three years before he would go to the cross, and there once and for all deal with Satan.
But it began at the temptation. The course was determined at that point. He came to destroy
the works of the devil, and only he could do that on our behalf. There is not a man
or woman in all of the world who could deal with the devil. We are all victims of his
by our birth as sinners into the world. But the majesty of the Son of God is that he came
into the world to destroy the works of the devil. And though Satan is still at work today
in our world, there is a day coming, and he knows it well, when he will be finally dealt
with and the judgment that has already been spoken upon him will be carried out. And he
will no longer be free, but will be punished in the lake of fire forever and ever. The
Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. He came also to fill the throne of
David. We see this in Luke 1 verses 32 and 33, John 1, 49 and other places. He came to
fill the throne of David. The promises of God to David for an eternal kingdom of David's
dynasty will be found fulfilled when the Son of God reigns. And since we're here in 1
John, look in chapter 4 verse 9, where we see that he came as the Son of God to save
the people of God, by this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent his
only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through him. Look over in chapter
5 and verse 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for the
witness of God is this, that he has borne witness concerning his Son. The one who believes
in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one who does not believe God has made
him a liar because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning
his Son. And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life and this life is
in his Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son of God does not
have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the beloved and only begotten Son of God. He is worthy of our worship and
our faith. And those who refuse to believe to worship will one day stand before him as
the Son of God and as judge. However, those who believe have already passed, the Bible
says, from death to life. Those who believe have already escaped judgment. In order to
be saved, in order to go to heaven, in order to have sins forgiven, one must believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God in this unique and biblical sense that we've talked about
this morning. Beware of any teaching that impugns the Son of God. Any doctrine that
says he is less than deity is the spirit of Antichrist and it damns the souls of those
who accept it. As I talked with those two ladies a few weeks ago, I pled with them to
repent of their doctrine. I pled with them to turn away from their denial that Jesus
Christ is Jehovah God come in the flesh and I warned them of the eternal fire which is
to come, which they also deny conveniently. But friend, it is true, anyone who turns from
the Son of God turns to a hopeless, Christless eternity. Is your faith in the Son of God
today? God is jealous of his Son's unique person. Is your faith in him as the beloved
and only begotten Son of God? Let's bow together. Are you saved, my friend? The Bible says,
he who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal
life. You either have the Son and therefore have life, or you do not have the Son of God
and you do not have life. Are you saved? Have you believed in a saving way upon Jesus Christ?
Understood that he is God come in the flesh who died for your sins and rose again? Is
your faith solely relying upon what he did for you? Have you put away your own empty,
worthless works to trust in him? The opportunity is there for you today to believe on him.
If you believe on him, the Son of God, you can know that you have eternal life. I pray
that right now in the quietness of these moments, if you've never trusted him, you will. Let's
sing together this familiar verse.
And when I think that God his Son not sparing Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee How great thou art, how great thou art
Our Savior, God to thee.
We sing, How great thou art. And we worship you, Lord Jesus, in your majesty as the Son
of God. And we witness, as did the witnesses that we saw in Scripture today, that truly
you are the Son of God, our Savior. And you have right claim to our lives. And we give
ourselves to you in faith and for service. So use us this week. May we be faithful emissaries
of the Son of God. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. God bless you.