Friday, April 14, 2023

The Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Son Of Man

      Welcome to a new series on the Weekend Sermon. I hope that you are all doing well and that you had a good Easter weekend. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.

     Just before Holy Week, we finished a sermon series dealing with the attributes of God. Starting today, we are beginning a new sermon series. In this series of messages, I want to focus on the different names and titles that Jesus is given in the Bible. 

     The term that Jesus often used to describe Himself in the Gospels is the Son of Man. The title Son of Man has some important meanings that I want us to look into today. 

     Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man many times. For instance, we read in Matthew 20:28 that the, "Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  In Mark 2:28 Jesus says referring to Himself, "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." These are just two of the many times Jesus called Himself Son of Man.

     The title Son of Man tells us two things about Jesus. First of all, the title Son of Man identifies Jesus as a human being. Son of Man is a term in the Old Testament that is used to refer to a human being. This term is used extensively of the prophet Ezekiel in his prophetic book. By referring to Himself as Son of Man, Jesus is making clear that He is fully human. The Bible tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. Because He was fully man, Jesus could be our Great High Priest. He could succeed in every area where Adam failed. Jesus could live a life as a man without sin in order to be the one to take our place and redeem us from our sins. 

     Now, the title Son of Man as it relates to Jesus means more than the fact that Jesus is a human being. Son of Man is a title given to the Messiah and the Divine One in the Old Testament. We see this in the book of Daniel in chapter 7. In chapter 7, one called the Son of Man comes in the clouds and comes before the Ancient of Days. This is a reference to God the Father. The Ancient of Days gives dominion over all to the Son of Man.

     When Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man, He was claiming to be the Messiah and God come in the flesh. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man from Daniel's prophecy on two different occasions. When giving the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, Jesus said that they would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds. Jesus is referring to Himself. When Jesus was on trial before He was crucified He said as found in Mark 14:61-62, "... Again the High Priest asked Him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One.'"  "I am," said Jesus, "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven." When Jesus said this, the High Priest tore his clothes and accused Jesus of blasphemy. He knew exactly what Jesus was saying. Jesus was stating unequivocally that He was the Messiah and God. 

     As we can clearly see, the title Son of Man lets us know that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. He came to show us how to live an authentic human life as our perfect example. He died on the cross to take our sins and the punishment for sin that we rightly deserved. He rose from the dead, and is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high. One day, He will come again and rule and reign forever and ever just as He said and as was prophesied in the book of Daniel. Jesus is Lord. He calls on you to make Him your Lord today. Amen.

Prayer Request

     I have been feeling better. Please keep praying that I will do better and better. Thank you for your prayers. 

     Please pray for my friend at work who is having heart problems.

     Continue to pray for those affected by natural disasters around the world. Pray that people will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Let us pray for peace. Ukraine, Syria, Haiti and Yemen all really need our prayers.

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for those in nations of  Indonesia and Iran. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I may have a midweek post. May God bless you all.  

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