Sermons on Christ's Deity
Proverbs 8:22-31
In Proverbs 8:22-31 Solomon continues his description of Wisdom. Here we see Wisdom’s relationship to creation. Amazingly, Wisdom is described as being prior to creation and related to God as one begotten of him. This passage has been extraordinarily important in the history of the church, particularly during the Arian controversy. The passage shows that Wisdom is a person, the Son of God, equal with the Father, existing before creation as the eternal God. This is the one who calls…
Hebrews 1-13
The genre of the book of Hebrews is self described as a “word of exhortation”, which was a phrase used in the ancient church to describe a sermon. Therefore, it is good to consider the letter as a whole. Pastor Grasso reads the letter as a sermon.
Hebrews 5:8
Sometimes simple verses can contain deep theology. In Hebrews 5:8 the author says that Christ learned obedience through suffering though He was a Son. How can the eternal Son of God learn if He is omniscient as the eternal Son of God? This verse highlights the wonder of the incarnation and the glory of Christ being able to sympathize with His people as a great high priest.
Hebrews 5:1-10
In Hebrews 5:1-10, the author begins his comparison of Christ, a priest after the order of Melchizedek, with the sons of Aaron, the levitical priests. Christ is superior to them in that He is able to sympathize with His people without sin, has learned obedience through what He suffered, and offered prayers to God for His and our deliverance. Through all of this the one who was appointed by God to be high priest has become the source of eternal…
Hebrews 4:9-10
In Hebrews 4:9-10, the author speaks about a “sabbath rest” that remains for the people of God (v. 9). He then shoes how Christ has rested from his works as God did from his (v. 10), providing the basis for this rest. Pastor Grasso defends this reading of verse 10 and shows the ways in which Christ’s work of redemption is related to creation and, more particularly, the new creation.
Hebrews 1:5-14
In Hebrews 1:5-14 the author of Hebrews quotes from a number of Old Testament passages to show that Christ is superior to the angels in every way. He is superior because he is the Son of God. He is superior because he is God by nature, not a ministering spirit like the angels. He is superior because he is the king, not a servant. The Arians of the 4th century and the Jehovah’s Witnesses today claim that Jesus is merely…
Hebrews 1:1-4 (Part 2)
In Hebrews 1:1-4 the author contrasts two ways God communicates: through the prophets of the OT and through his Son. The revelation is far superior to the old method of communication because of the surpassingly great glory of the Son. He is the heir of all things, the creator of all, the brightness of the glory of the Father, who upholds all things. He is the one who made purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of…
Matthew 9:32-34
In Matthew 9:32-34 Christ gives speech to a mute demoniac. This again shows Christ’s authority over all of creation as the eternal Son of God. Matthew here, however, begins to highlight a new theme that will be developed in the coming chapters: how people respond to Christ. That Christ has done something amazing and is doing amazing things today cannot be denied. The question is: do these things cause you to worship him or to declare him to be evil?
Matthew 9:27-31
In Matthew 9:27-31 Christ gives sight to two blind men. This healing is done in private for these two who believe in him. Christ’s giving sight to the blind shows that he is God, who alone has such power, and that he is bringing in the last age. His ability to give sight to the blind shows that he is able to grant faith sovereignly to whomever he wills. The blind men can see with the eyes of faith, but…
Luke 1:26-38
In Luke 1:26-38 the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and explains to her what is about to happen with the birth of Christ. Christ will be born of Mary even though she is a virgin. This proves that Christ is the Son of the Most High and that as such he will inherit the throne of David.
Matthew 1:18-25
Christ’s two names in Matthew 1:18-25 tell us who he is and what he has come to do. As “Immanuel” he is God with us. As “Jesus” he comes to save his people from their sins. The only way to make sense of the incarnation is to seek to understand it in light of the mission of Christ. Anything less than the salvation of his people from sin makes the incarnation incomprehensible.
Matthew 9:1-8
In Matthew 9:1-8 Christ heals a paralytic, but the healing of the paralytic is not the emphasis in the story. This miracle is actually used to prove a more significant point: Christ has the authority to forgive sins. If you believe in Christ, then take heart, your sins are forgiven. If you doubt like the scribes, you will be counted as a blasphemer.
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