Jesus is God. Deal with it!

Steve Brown:
Jesus is God. Deal with it! Let’s talk, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was author and seminary professor Steve Brown. And this is Key Life. We’re all about radical grace because of what Jesus has done, God’s not mad at you. Keep listening and that message will set you free to live a life of joy and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Hi Peter.

Pete Alwinson:
Hey man. That’s great. I love that teaser. Really great.

Steve Brown:
Just deal with it.

Pete Alwinson:
Just deal with it.

Steve Brown:
Peter and I or Pete and I, he comes in every Friday and we’ve been doing that for over 25 years to answer questions and the powers at Key Life decided we were going to sit down and spend a week, Christmas week just talking about Christmas stuff. And we decided on the ninth chapter of Isaiah and the four names that were prophesied about the coming Messiah. And we would spend some time talking about those names. And if you were listening yesterday, we talked about Jesus being a Wonderful Counselor. What’s that quote, that was funny that you were telling.

Pete Alwinson:
If it’s free it’s advice, if you paid for it, it’s counseling. And if you can use either one, it’s a miracle.

Steve Brown:
And Jesus is giving you, not just fluffy, nice things, but wisdom for living. But then their second name that’s prophesied by Isaiah in that ninth chapter is that Jesus is a Mighty God. You know, talking about quotes, that lamb quote, what was that again? That is so good.

Pete Alwinson:
Powerful, he said.

If Shakespeare was to come into this room, we should all rise up to meet him. But if that person Jesus was to come into it, we should all fall down and try to kiss the hem of his garment.

Steve Brown:
Oh man. Why is that?

Pete Alwinson:
He’s a Mighty God.

Steve Brown:
He’s a Mighty God. He really is. You know, there are people, and don’t believe them because it’s the stuff of which cults are made. Always ask, what do you think about Jesus? And if they say he was a wonderful teacher. He was a loving person. He was wise. He was good. He was an example. And they don’t say he was God, then they miss the central doctrine of the Christian faith.

Pete Alwinson:
You know, you are so right. And at Christmas time, some of this time for sitting and contemplating, we need to try to wrap our heads around El gibbor, Mighty God because you’re right. This is, this is huge. You cannot read the gospels or the New Testament and come away with this idea, well, Jesus was just a good profit or a good man or a good teacher. The Bible as C.S. Lewis says, does not leave us with that conclusion. He’s either God or he’s crazy.

Steve Brown:
That’s right. And you’ve got to face that, crazy people, good people don’t lie. And that would make him a liar, crazy people, if he’s crazy, he’s probably a megalomaniac.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
Or he’s who he said he was.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. You know, Josh McDowell put it different, Lord, liar or lunatic.

Steve Brown:
Yeah. One or the other, you don’t, that’s all you get.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s all you get. And, and really when you read the gospels, He never comes across as an unstable person in any way, shape or form.

Steve Brown:
Once.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. So, and he consistently comes across as Mighty God.

Steve Brown:
That’s right. And the Word, the Word that created everything, the Word that was there from the beginning, the Word that made the mountains and the stars, became flesh. And that’s the amazing, it’s not that a wonderful teacher was born in Bethlehem. I mean, there were a lot of babies that grew up to be teachers. I mean, that’s just not that important.

Pete Alwinson:
Right, right, right.

Steve Brown:
But if that’s God, the Creator, sovereign Ruler of the universe in that cradle in Bethlehem, that’s mind blowing.

Pete Alwinson:
It really is. And really when we think of who Jesus is, he is the one that captured your heart and my heart and Steve, you’re one of the finest, if not the finest communicators. And your voice is a gift from God. You are in our country.

Steve Brown:
I’m good looking too.

Pete Alwinson:
I forgot. I forgot it. And you have a perfect beard, but Jesus captured your heart.

Steve Brown:
Yeah, he did.

Pete Alwinson:
He captured C.S. Lewis. He captured Martin Luther because he’s Mighty God.

Steve Brown:
That’s right. And nice people don’t do that.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right.

Steve Brown:
Nice people are just nice people. You know, there’s a lot of debate about Jesus being God. The questions come up and probably we’ll be dealing with them when we do questions and answers. How could a man be God? How could God, I mean, that doesn’t make sense, that just doesn’t work. But yes, it does work because the God who is out of time and space and eternal, entered time our continuum, that’s why he could pray to God because he was in our time continuum, praying to the God who was outside of time, which was himself, the lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s heavy theology there, but it’s really important.

Steve Brown:
Oh, it’s very important because if Jesus was not God, then you can say to what he says to you, take up your cross and follow me. I’ve come for the sick, not the well, he who believes in me will live forever. I am the way and the truth and the life. That doesn’t mean anything. I mean, that’s just a guy talking, man. He’s probably, he’s wrong or he could be wrong, but if he’s God, then every word that came from his mouth. Is absolute eternal sovereign truth and meant for us.

Pete Alwinson:
Absolutely, so good. And you could only understand the narrative, the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, in light of this, that it is a supernatural thing that took place. A one time event. A one time, is not going to happen again, but it was supernatural, even Mary said, how is this to be?

Steve Brown:
That’s true. You know, I went to a graduate school of theology where they made fun of the birth narrative, the Virgin birth certainly didn’t happen, it was a symbol. He was trying to teach us something and I even then, and I was part of that. Even then I thought to myself, you know, that means they lied to us. They didn’t tell us the truth. And then later on, I realized it’s a lot deeper than that, if the birth narratives aren’t true, then Jesus is just like me.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. That’s right. And so, there’s so much power here that we have to keep in mind. I love the story of the Marine, former Marine who came and worked in the inner city in a school. It was a roughest class and he came in and these kids were going crazy. And, but he had had back surgery and under his shirt, he had a cast. And when he walked in, his tie flew up because of the window was open. And so, he took the stapler, stapled his tie to his chest and the rowdy class was quiet and he had no problem. When we understand the power of Jesus. I liked that story.

Steve Brown:
That’s a great story, I just stole it.

Pete Alwinson:
Good, it’s yours. But, I love that because when we look at Jesus and we see that he calmed the sea, that he stood, that he told the forces of creation to quiet down, that’s the power that we can lean on. And we need to have some time alone this year, this Christmas time, just to, just to relax. And look at our life in light of the Supreme power of Jesus.

Steve Brown:
That’s so good. And you can’t relax, if somebody is not in charge of this mess.

Pete Alwinson:
Exactly, exactly. And we can because he is.

Steve Brown:
And that means in a very practical way and we’re going through some tough stuff right now. Christians are, I mean, all of a sudden we used to have power and we don’t, all of a sudden they don’t like us, all of a sudden they think we’re homophobic and we’re against everything that’s progressive and right. And we want people to be miserable and we’re condemning and guilt, you know, all of a sudden it’s not an in thing to be, to be a Christian.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
And, but if Jesus is Mighty God, then it’s cool.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Yeah. That is so true. Now is the time, now is actually a really wonderful time for us to drill down in our identity as the deeply beloved, redeemed daughters and sons of the most high God, who believe in a risen Savior, that mighty God has come and proven himself. It’s the only thing that’s going to arguably see us through and rebuild our churches.

Steve Brown:
I agree. I agree with you. And, we try to do it with technique and technique won’t do it.

Pete Alwinson:
Good point.

Steve Brown:
And you know, the best preacher in the world, if he doesn’t preach what you were just saying, it’s not going to work.

Pete Alwinson:
It really is. Isn’t it? That’s so true, Steve, in that it is no longer about technique or getting the culture to like us. It’s about us winsomely living in faith and trust in our Savior.

Steve Brown:
And why can we do that?

Pete Alwinson:
Because he is Mighty God.

Steve Brown:
Mighty God. That’s right. Isn’t that cool? And that Isaiah, you know, I bet the people that lived 700 years before the birth of Christ, heard Isaiah say this and said, you know, that guy’s been smoking something. There’s something wrong with him. The Mighty God, Yahweh, the covenant name of God doesn’t track with us that way. He doesn’t come that way, but he did. And everything’s different because of it.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. And that’s why our Jewish friends, we love them and we want them, Hey, look at Isaiah nine. Look at Isaiah 53, again.

Steve Brown:
Rejoice and relax because he’s God. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve and Pete. Good stuff. Jesus was and is a lot of things, but if we look at our words for him and don’t have God on that list, well, then we’ve missed the story and the point of Christmas. Well, here we are days away from Christmas and just over the horizon, the end of this year. Was it a good year for you? For a lot of folks, it wasn’t. For many, there was loss and pain and darkness, things that would make it difficult to repeat the words of hymn writer Horatio Spafford, it is well with my soul. Wait, what does that song have to do with Christmas? Well, Christmas, the incarnation of God in Christ, means that your soul, the real you is secure in Jesus, treasured, shepherded, and preserved. Steve spoke about all of this and a sermon, and if you’re going through it, I know it’s really going to bless you. So, please call us today at 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that sermon CD. If you’d like to mail your request, send it to

Key Life Network
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Just ask for your copy of the CD called It is Well With My Soul. Finally, if you value what we do here at Key Life, would you consider giving to support that work? Giving is easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or just pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And as always, we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.