Apostolic Testimony to the Deity of Christ, Part 2

Take a piece of metal and bring it before you 'in the form of a sword' — it is appearing in the specific character of a sword, not just metal in the abstract. So 'form of God' means specific divine character.

words, but the words of him that sent me. I don't do my own works, but the works of him that sent me. I do always the things that please my Father. You see, coming in the morphe, the form of a servant, Jesus Christ manifested all the essential characteristics of a true servant. And as surely as he manifested every true characteristic of servant, he manifested servanthood. He did so as the one who in himself had all of the essential characteristics of God. Who existing in the form of God. Now the apostle says, here's the wonder. Who existing

13:12 - 13:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The eternal Word, who was with God and was God, had not assumed the form of a servant.

Christ took the morphe of a servant — every essential characteristic of a true servant. The same word that proves servanthood proves deity in the previous verse.

In other words, he's to give some instruction concerning the kind of living that is consonant with true doctrine. He does not want the doctrine negated or neutralized by the sloppy lives of the people of God. And so he gives specific directions to old men, to young men, to the man of God himself. And he's concerned about this because, as he says in verse 10, that men are not the same as they are.

15:54 - 16:25 Read in full sermon

Martin shows how the single article governing both 'great God' and 'Savior' in Greek grammatically forces a single referent — Jesus Christ is our great God and Savior.

Thirdly, because He is addressed as God by God. This is a quotation, of course, from the Old Testament. And though the language in the Old Testament is somewhat obscure and the Hebrew exegesis is difficult, the Holy Spirit, who is the inspired interpreter of the Word, caused the penman of this epistle, the writer to Hebrews, to write in Greek that has absolutely no question as to its proper exegesis. There is no question as to syntax and grammar and the meaning of words.

26:19 - 26:55 Read in full sermon

If Christ is a 'lesser god' rather than Jehovah incarnate, then He is no God but an idol — and any worship rendered Him violates the second commandment perpetually.

Let's look at it. First John, chapter 1.

30:51 - 30:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In Christ dwells permanently resident the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Colossians 2:9 uses a word found only here — 'permanently resident.' In Christ's whole human nature dwells all the fullness of God in permanent residence.

It is as God,

39:04 - 39:05 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not in Christ, recognize that the One who invites you is God Himself, fully able to fulfill every promise — come to Him.

Think of the burdens that bow sinners down — the chains, the cords, the death and bondage of the soul. Only a divine Savior can promise rest to all who come.

Tantamount to blasphemy. No, no, my sinner friend. Why does Christ say, Coming for wrath you must come in the total abandonment of supreme religious affection to Christ because he's God. And if he demanded anything less, he'd be violating the very law which he himself gave.

40:22 - 40:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Reject the false 'Lordship Salvation Controversy' as a false dilemma — Christ as God always demands supreme religious affection at the moment of saving faith.

Martin denounces the 'cheap hucksting off of Jesus' — peddling a Christ who can be sampled without supreme religious affection — as 'tantamount to blasphemy.'

And then you get so concerned that it's shriveling, you look at it closer and it shrivels some more.

42:44 - 42:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Stop staring at the meagerness of your own faith — gaze at the all-sufficient God-Savior whose deity is your faith's true object.

Faith blushes and recedes when you stare at it; faith grows by gazing on its object — the all-sufficient God-Savior.

of the Father through the Word, He says, pluck out right eyes, cut off right hands, deny yourself, take up a cross. Well, is He going to be regarded as God? Are we going to yield affection to base passion and lust when they speak? Or to the incarnate God who speaks from the right hand of the Father through the Word and the Spirit to our hearts and to our consciences?

45:23 - 45:55 Read in full sermon