Sermon Central
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Obscuring God
Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Jul 19, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: We need to see the Lord clearly. We need to see the Lord always before our faces. The only problem is that many of us are spiritually ADD and we allow the things of this world to obscure the face of the Lord. May the Lord help us to clear those away!
Acts 2:22-25 (Let people find this while you say the following)
In these verses Peter is in the middle of the recorded part of his sermon to those who were attracted to the sound of the might, rushing wind and to those proclaiming the wonders of God in foreign languages even though they were all Galileans.
This was a time when a radical change was taking place in how humanity would interact with God.
OK. So, let’s read this portion of Acts 2:22-25 Please follow along in your Bibles.
Now moving back to verse 22
Acts 2:22 NASB
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know …”
“Men of Israel”
Peter is still under the impression that Jesus the Messiah is ONLY for Israel!
Most of the men there were Israelites coming to the feast of Pentecost.
Some however were converts to Judaism from other religions.
“Jesus the Nazarene” or “Jesus of Nazareth” a man …
Peter has already stated to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
just as Martha had done at the resurrection of Lazarus.
But here Peter is calling Him “a man”
This is NOT a mistake on Peter’s part or the on the part of the Holy Spirit who motivated and provided Peter with the message.
Now, Peter knows, and we know from God’s Holy Word that Jesus was both fully God and fully man.
Recite John 1:1-4 and 14
There are two theologies about this seeming impossibility:
Hypostatic Union (explain briefly)
Kenosis (explain briefly)
Both seem to true and yet both cannot be true in our ability to understand them.
“[Jesus], although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes - the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].”
This is going to be an important point in what we are looking at today.
God is omniscient - God the Son is all knowing - all knowing
God the Son before the incarnation as Jesus the Son of Man, was all knowing.
Jesus, God the Son did not abandon or renounce His omniscience but willing laid it aside.
God the Son was not diminished in any way, He was and is still fully God and fully human. Now, don’t go away here thinking that your pastor believes that Jesus was not fully God, He was. But, he laid aside His omniscience until His resurrection and ascension into heaven.
Do you think the Christ Child in the manger said to Mary, “Hey, Mom, I’m hungry. How about something to eat?”
Do you think Jesus as a child said to Joseph, “Hey Dad, Herod is sending some soldiers to kill Me. We’d better get out of here and go to Egypt for a while!”
The Bible says Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.
Fully God. Fully man. Omniscience laid aside.
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God is omnipresent - God the Son is omnipresent - existing everywhere at all times
God the Son before the incarnation as Jesus, the Son of Man, was omnipresent existing everywhere at all times.
Jesus, God the Son did not abandon or renounce His omnipresence but willing laid it aside.
God the Son was not diminished in any way, He was and is still fully God and fully Human. Now, don’t go away here thinking that your pastor believes that Jesus was not fully God, He was. But, he laid aside His omnipresence until His resurrection and ascension into heaven.
God the Son, in the flesh as Jesus the Son of Man limited Himself to the area of presence that a normal human has.
Jesus was never in Jerusalem and Capernaum at the same time. He was where He was when He was there just like you and I are here now and not somewhere else.
As a 12 year old Jesus could have been with Joseph and Mary headed home at the same time that He was at the temple discussing the Father except for one small detail. God the Son as Jesus the Son of Man had laid aside His ability to be everywhere at all times.
