Date: 10/07/07
Study: Know Why You Believe
Chapter 3 – Is Christ God?
Lesson: 4

11:00 – 11:10 Review
Brian / Other Leaders

Opening Prayer

11:10 – 11:30

What kind of question is “Is Christ God”?
Why would people want to bring this up and challenge you with it?
[Because it is a great way to attempt to undermine the foundation of Christianity. If Jesus is not God / the Son of God; then he could only be a man who was quite wise and able to manipulate those around him less intelligent.]

Do you guys understand the important of foundation? Answering this particular question with authority is important for you to defend the foundations of your Faith.

Here’s a fact. It is impossible for us to know conclusively whether God exists and what he is like unless He takes the initiative and reveals himself
[Talk about the era of people running around claiming to be a god and how the priests of the day could have you killed for it.]

However, we have a huge amount of clues of God personally revealing himself.
Christ’ birth; struck fear in the reigning King (Herod) who thought Jesus was to be his rival. So he killed all the two-year boys in the land.
p. 36

Jesus claimed and demonstrated the attributes that only God has.
Note the paralytic story in Mark 2:5 “Sons, your sins are forgiven”.

“That you may know that I, the Son of Man, have authority on earth to forgive sins [which you rightly say God alone can do], but since this cannot be seen, I’ll do something you can see” Mark 2:10

The title Son of Man is one Jesus used to refer to himself.

Defending the claims of Jesus being Deity, there are only four possibilities:
He was a liar. Even those that those who deny his deity affirm Jesus as a great moral teacher. That said then they fail to realize those two views are contradictory
He was a lunatic. There is simply no evidence to support this view. The bible makes no suggestion that he was crazy
He was a legend. A legend is someone whose reputation grows with time as his story is told and retold over the years. It is very hard to start a legend within the lifetime of those that new the person. Gospels were written within the lifetime of the apostles.
He spoke the truth. How about this as an answer

* BREAK – SMALL GROUPS *

11:30 – Small Group Time
(Leaders, please record your groups answers to the following questions so that they can be shared with all of the leaders)

What are Jesus’ credentials to claim to be the Son of God?
a. Jesus’ moral character coincided with his claims.
b. “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” John 8:46
Can you find anything in the Bible that says Jesus was not sinless
c. We read of Jesus’ temptations, but we never hear of a confession of a sin on his part. He never asks for forgiveness.
[Have the boys look the passage up 1 Peter 2:22: “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth’]
Can you give examples of Jesus having control over natural forces? Death, the weather, sickness
d. Mark 4:41; John 9:25; 9:32,
e. Lazarus John 11:17
What was the ultimate proof of his deity his, alignment as God?
f. [His resurrection] Re-read one of the accounts
i. Matt 16:21, 17:22-23;
ii. Mark 8:31, 10:32-33
iii. Luke 9:21

11:45 – Closing Thoughts
We are working these past few weeks to help you build a foundation around your faith and the faith of Christianity.
This Jesus without money or arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on matters human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

* CLOSE IN PRAYER *

11:55 - Outside for Games
Leaders are welcome and encouraged to introduce new games