Sherry and I went to a church yesterday with some nice, sweet people who love God and our Lord Jesus Christ. They sang worship hymns, had a Bible teaching, and fellowshipped afterward. But I had to wonder what our heavenly Father, and especially what our loving Lord Jesus Christ, both thought about this. These people confused the two and kept calling Jesus God. That may be what they believe, but it doesn’t change what’s true.
Jesus is the Son of God, not God the Son. That is what he said of himself in the Gospel of John [5:25; 9:39; 10:36; 11:4; 19:7].
He called himself the Son of Man [Adam] in all four gospels and fulfilled God’s promise to Adam [Genesis 3:15].
Others called him the Son of David, because he was literally a descendant of David and fulfilled God’s promise to David as the Messiah [II Samuel 7:13; I Chronicles 22:10].
This study allows you to go to the New Testament scriptures and see who Jesus really is: based on what he said of himself. It also shows what other people believed about him. I encourage you to look at each scripture, then go to your Bible and see the context of each verse below. It will open your eyes to the greatness of the Father’s love in sending His only Son to show us how to live.
We saw in Part 1 that the gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as a shepherd king who brought God’s kingdom to earth. In Part 2 we saw that the gospel of Mark presents Jesus as a servant, humbled below all. In Part 3 we saw that the gospel of Luke shows Jesus as the Son of Adam, tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, who reached out to others with great compassion.
In Part 4, we will look at the gospel of John: where Jesus is the Son of God. We will also see our rights and privileges as sons of God through what Christ has done for us [we are redeemed, justified, righteous, and sanctified]. And we will see our future joy at Christ’s return.
Welcome to this 4-part series on Jesus Christ: yesterday, today, and forever.
Our focus will first be to show why God had four gospels written. They are all the same good-news story of salvation, but each gospel [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] shows a different aspect of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished in his earthly ministry. That’s the “yesterday” aspect of Jesus’ ministry.
We have seen who Jesus said he was as the Messiah and also some prophecies from the Old Testament about the Messiah. Now let’s see what expectations the people of Jesus’ time had about who the Messiah was and what he should do.
Some religious people try to isolate New Testament selections to prove that Jesus was a God-man who came to earth. One of these is Philippians 2:1-11. Yet, when viewed in the beauty with which God had the Apostle Paul write this truth, we see that Jesus Christ is our lord and savior, and NOT equal with God our Father, the Creator.
Continuing to follow the True and Living Way through the gospels, we come across these significant prophecies about our Lord Jesus Christ around the time of his birth. Let’s sit awhile and contemplate each occasion, considering the influence on those who initially received these words, and then how they speak to us today about him whom we love.
Browsing through a small bookstore in Portland, Maine, I found an old book about the ministry of Jesus and asked the clerk, James, how much it cost. That started us on a conversation about the Bible and he said that he believed it was a book full of errors and inconsistencies. I maintained that the Bible was the Word of God without error or apparent contradictions when properly interpreted.
Background
The second Psalm shows the Messiah’s victory over a rebellious enemy. This goes back to Genesis 3:15 where the seed of the serpent would fight the seed of the woman. The seed of the serpent would bruise the Messiah’s heel—a temporary wound (for Christ was raised from the dead). The seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head—total destruction (in the lake of fire in the future).
Structure
The Psalm is structured as follows:
(Verses 1 – 3) The rebellious and their plans against the Lord and His Messiah
(Verses 4 – 9) God’s response to them—the authority of His Son, the Messiah
(Verses 10 – 12) Man’s proper conduct toward the Lord and His Messiah
Key Scriptures
Verse 7—“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Think of how Jesus Christ would have marveled with rejoicing when he read this verse. This scripture is quoted in Acts 13:33 by Paul in Antioch of Pisidia. Paul said this was “glad tidings” and a promise that God made to the “fathers” of Israel. It is also quoted in Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5, regarding Christ being greater than any angel; and that he was a new kind of high priest (not under the Levitical law). As God’s Son, Jesus Christ had that stature.
Verse 8—”Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” This is quoted in the Book of Revelation three times (2:27; 12:5; 19:15). All three places show Jesus Christ’s future power and authority in action. He truly will rule with an iron rod.
Verses 11 and 12—“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son….” This mighty Psalm concludes with advice on how to be “blessed.” Serve the Lord God with respect, and show obedience and honor to His Son, the Messiah. The words “Kiss the Son,” can also be translated “kiss the ground,” showing obedience and respect to a superior and lord. I Corinthians 8:6 explains this truth beautifully: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of [from] whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by [means of] whom are all things, and we by him.”
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
Click here to read PSALM 91 in poetic form