The Weekly Bulletin of the Livingston Church of Christ

Meeting at 639 2nd Street, Livingston, CA 95334

Office: (209) 394-3511 | Preacher: Jovan Payes
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Jesus, More than a Good Teacher | Jovan Payes April 10, 2011

Many have stumbled and erred regarding the nature of Jesus. To some News and Notes
he is a great teacher, one that should stand at the top of the world's "Top
10" of most influential religious leaders of human existence. They over A Note to Our Visitors:
emphasize his humanity and praise his ethical and moral teachings (e.g. Welcome! We want you to
the golden rule). know you are our honored
However, they cannot view him as a wonderful teacher of ethics and guests. Let us know how we
morals and at the same time ignore the claims that Jesus makes regarding can serve you. We have free
his divinity. There are various moments in his ministry, where Jesus biblical literature and offer
demonstrates or claims his Divine nature (Phi. 2.5-11; 1 Tim. 3.16). free home bible studies.
The Authority of the Son of Man
Condolences & Prayers for
While Jesus ministered in Galilee, a paralyzed man was dropped
the Spillman family and the
down through the roof of a home by his inventive and determined friends
O’Hara family.
for healing (Matt. 9.1-8, Mark 2.1-12). Mark’s text adds that they dug a
hole in the roof to do bring their friend to Jesus (2.4). Remember in Prayer: our
The episode becomes a moment of revelation regarding the authority Dreams, Ed (Merced
and divinity of Jesus: Memorial), Rozella (ribs),
And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was Pat O’Hara (cancer), Victor
paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Barrios (grieving), Fred
Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they
(neck), Linda (knees), Gerald
went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles
(recovery), Hazel (recovery),
into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said,
"Man, your sins are forgiven you." (Luke 5:18-20) Mike (back), Shelly (testing),
Forgiveness is probably not what the paralyzed man’s friends expected; Tammy (upcoming surgery)
after all, they came for healing. Connie Payes (dialysis), Elsa
The “scribes and the Pharisees” were offended, for they viewed Jesus’ Avalos (Alzheimer’s).
words as nothing more than a blasphemous scandal: "Who is this who Free Recharge Audio | To
speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (5.21). Jesus get the FREE audio from
hijacked, in their view, the Divine prerogative to forgive sins (Exod. 10:17, Recharge: Excellence in
32:31-33, Jer. 31:34), and in their eyes committed a capital spiritual crime. Ministry, go to the website:
For them, he was just a man. In order to demonstrate his authority “on
http://rechargeme.org/sche
earth to forgive sins” (5.24), Jesus set forth a challenge (5.23): “Which is
dule-speakers.
easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?”
Obviously, it is “easier” to speak about something you cannot prove April 27 to May 1 | Spiritual
empirically; namely, forgiveness. Growth Expo at W. Visalia
Consequently, if he can do the “harder” thing which requires an (Visalia). There will be
empirical/visible demonstration (“rise and walk”), then he can do the classes for Men, Ladies,
“invisible thing” which is to forgive sins. Luke 5.24 records the words of Teens, and on Marriage and
Jesus: “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home”. the Family. See poster in
The miracle was immediate (5.25), the crowd was amazed (5.26), and foyer.
the scribes and the Pharisees received an answer they would never forget
– Jesus of Nazareth possesses both the ability and right to forgive sins!
Therefore, in this instance, Jesus exercises his privileges showcasing his
 Schedule of Services Jesus, More than a Good Teacher (continued)
Sunday Services God-nature. “We have seen extraordinary things today” (5.26).
Bible Class 10 AM A Sample of Biblical Passages
(Classes for All Ages) The notion that the post-apostolic church “voted”, and therefore
Morning Worship 11 AM “endowed” Jesus with divinity, is completely foreign to the biblical
Evening Worship 5 PM documents. For example, He is prophetically called the “Everlasting
Father” (Isa. 9:6), a Hebrew idiom meaning that he has an eternal
4th Sunday Services
existence (Micah 5:2; John 1:1; Jackson, Isaiah 25). Jesus is Immanuel,
Bible Class 10 AM which means “God with us” (Matt. 1:21-23).
(Classes for All Ages) Again, the apostle John sets the stage for his Gospel by appealing to
Morning Worship 11 AM the Creation event of Genesis 1.1 where “God created the heavens and
Birthday Fellowship Meal the earth”. John 1:1-3 recounts that “the Word” (logos), as “God” (theos),
Afternoon 1:30 PM as the agent by which the universe began (1 John 1.1). Becoming human
Wednesday Services is part of the plan to bring salvation through the cross (Phil. 2:5-10).
Finally, Paul affirms in Colossians 1.17 that in Jesus the universe
Bible Classes 7 PM
stands in "perfect equilibrium" (sunistemi). If Jesus is the unifying force of
(Classes for All Ages) the universe, should we be surprised that Jesus incorporated the
Daily Bible Readings miraculous in his ministry? No. In fact, these signs led many to seek him
4/10 Amos 4 as a “teacher come from God” (John 3.1-2). But he is more than a teacher.
4/11 Amos 5 C.S. Lewis and Jesus
4/12 Amos 6 We conclude this piece with a look at a passage from C.S. Lewis in his
4/13 Amos 7 work, Mere Christianity. Lewis goes into considerable length in calling
4/14 Amos 8 attention to a problem of viewing Jesus as “a great moral teacher” and
4/15 Amos 9 rejecting “His claim to be God” (53). As Lewis sees it:
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said
4/16 Luke 1
[in his teaching and about himself] would not be a great moral
teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who
says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You
must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God:
or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at
His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any
patronising [sic] nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He
has not left that [option] open to us. He did not intend to. (C.S. Lewis,
2001, Mere Christianity, 53; emphasis added)
Lewis offers three basic options when it comes to Jesus: He is either (1) a
lunatic, (2) a liar, or (3) the very Lord and God revealed in the documents
of the New Testament.
Conclusion
The biblical accounts leave the issue clear that Jesus pre-existed
before coming to minister on this soil. From the outside, he looked and
lived as a human; but, inwardly and also through demonstrations
showed himself to be the Divine Word (John 1.1-3).
So what will you do with Jesus? How will you view his teaching? His
claims to Divinity? His claim to be your Redeemer? You will make a
JOVAN’S OFFICE HOURS decision either way and that decision will ripple its effects in the deepest
Tuesday to Friday crevices of your life. Give Him one real, genuine inquiry. He will not
9:30 AM to 3:30 PM disappoint you.