I should like to read, please, in the epistle to the Colossians chapter two. The epistle to the Colossians chapter two in verse four. On this I say, lest any man should beguiled you with enticing words, for though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the day, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. But where lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and that after Christ? For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bondage, and he are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. May God add this blessing to the reading of his own precious word. I feel very keenly this morning the tremendous responsibility of speaking about the person of the Lord Jesus. And as our brother has already said, we feel that we should draw the shoes of our feet for the ground on which we stand is fully ground. I realize our complete dependence upon God as we look at this very, very important subject. And just for a little while this morning, I want to speak about the person of Christ. On the one hand, it is a delightful subject. I don't think that any servant of God rejoices more on anything that he deals with than the person of our Blessed Lord. But we need to be very careful that we adhere... absolutely to what the Word of God has to say about it. Anyone who will look through the life of the Apostle Paul would notice immediately that there were three great controversies in his life. One at the beginning and one in the middle and the other at the end. You remember in his early Christian life when he was devoted to the work of the Lord, there was a problem with Rosa Galatia. And the problem there was that certain teachers had infiltrated among the churches and had insisted that the believer keep the law and be circumcised. The very foundations of the gospel were being attacked at that time. On the Apostle Paul, he writes the epistle to the Galatians to deal with that subject. Now, the attack there was legality, that is, adding something to the complete atoning work of the Lord Jesus upon Calvary's cross. That was the first controversy in which he was engaged. And as long as they lived, these Judaizing teachers jogged his footsteps on trying to undermine the work that the Apostle Paul was doing. Now, later on, we find another problem and difficulty in the Church at Corinth. This was a middle experience in the Apostle's life. He had been teaching, of course, that the believer is free from the law as a rule of life. And they had taken up as a slogan, all things are lawful unto me. And in the epistle to the Galatians, it is legality is a problem. But in the first epistle to the Corinthians, it is what is called antinomianism. That is without law. And this was a problem that the Apostle Paul had to deal with. The idea was, if you're a believer, if you've trusted Christ's salvation, if you've been born again, conduct and behavior doesn't matter. All things are lawful. On to me. And the Apostle had to deal with this question. It is the swing of the pendulum. legality in the one hand and license on the other. Now toward the end of Paul's life there was a third problem and that was an attack on the person of Christ that we find in the epistle to the Colossians and this is what we find in this magnificent epistle where the apostle he writes to the Church of Colossae and gives us one of the finest expeditions of the person of the Lord Jesus to be found anywhere in Holy Scripture. Now the problem there was what is called Gnosticism. That is, there were certain teachers who had infiltrated into the church and were teaching certain things connected with the person of Christ. He was just a creature, just like an angel, a superior angel, it is true, but certainly not the Creator. And the Apostle Paul, he has to deal with this matter. And this is what the Apostle is speaking about in the epistle to the Colossians. Now these are three controversies and they're very relevant at the present time. I think there's a good deal of legality in the world and people would like to add certain things to the gospel. The foundations of the gospel are attacks. And then there are others who think that doctrine is the important thing and behavior is not. And then finally, the attack on the person of the Lord Jesus himself. Just before I came to the meeting this morning, I was reading a little book that was written one hundred years ago by an outstanding teacher of the Word, Dr. R.W. Dale of Birmingham. and England. His book was an exposition of the atoning death of Christ upon the cross. It was written in eighteen seventy-five. That is exactly one hundred years ago. And among other things, Dr. Dale said this. He said, in my day, he said, the attack is upon the venerable head of Moses. Those were the days when men were attacking the complete authority of the Pentateuch and dividing it up into sections. He said, in my day the attack is upon the venerable head of Moses. But I said, I venture, he said to predict that in the last days, just immediately prior to the coming again of Christ, the attack will be upon that one holy head of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I believe that that is the period in which we have arrived. Not only among the heretical cults that are spreading all over the world today, but also in the most unexpected circles, the person of our Blessed Lord is being attacked. Well, I think that that is the reason for our meeting here this morning. We want to look at what the scripture has to say, not only about the complete essential deity of the Lord Jesus, but also about his holy, sinless humanity, and how the two are indissolubly joined together. What is called the hypostatic union. That is the deity of Christ, on the humanity of Christ never can be divided. And always and every action of His here below, His humanity and His deity were indissolubly joined together. We can't say He did this as God, only did that as man. But the Word of God makes it perfectly plain that the hypostatic union between His deity and His humanity is something that the Word of God expands very clearly. Now before we look at some witnesses to the deity of the Lord Jesus, there are three considerations that I want to mention laying a foundation of what we want to look at. Now, first of all, is the authority, the complete authority and inspiration of the Word of God. I take it for granted that the most of our beloved brethren here this morning, if not all, would subscribe to the complete authority of God's Word. The plenary... verbal inspiration of the Word of God. We're not going to argue that point this morning, but before we look at the subject at all, I think that it's most important that each of us subscribe without argument or without reserve to the complete authority of the Word of God. That is the first consideration. Now the second thing I want to mention as foundational to what we want to look at is the truth of the Holy Trinity in Scripture. I had a Presbyterian background, and I remember as a child learning the Shorter Catechism. There are some very lovely outlines of truth in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It's not inspired, of course. But the man who was responsible for giving that statement of doctrine, I believe, were a godly man. And in answer to the question, who is God? The answer is, God is a Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, equal in power and majesty and glory and dignity. I think that is a lovely statement. The Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, co-existent, co-eternal and co-equal. And this again is the truth that we find right through our Holy Scripture. It would be easy to spend all our time this morning in speaking about the Holy Trinity and how it is expounded right throughout the word. The word, of course, Trinity is not mentioned at all. But the tremendous truth of the Holy Trinity is expounded right throughout Holy Scripture. Now there's one thing about the Holy Trinity that I want to emphasize, and it's this, always. The Trinity always works in triunity. That is in happy fellowship and cooperation. God the Father is the one who plans and purposes. God the Son is the one who carries those purposes into fruition. And the Holy Spirit is the executive of the Godhead that will bring them to consummation. But always we find God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit working in complete harmony and fellowship. Here below. And I think that this is a great truth that underlies the doctrine of Christ. that we find in the New Testament scriptures. I just want to mention one area where we find it. In the atoning death of Christ upon the cross, in Hebrews chapter nine and verse fourteen, where he these words, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God make your conscience, purify your conscience from dead works? The blood of Christ, the eternal spirit on Christ he offers himself without spot to God there in the atoning death of Christ we find the three members of the Holy Trinity involved in every area on in every great truth in the New Testament scriptures we find God the Father God the Son on God the Holy Spirit working in harmony and fellowship for the redemption of mankind so that is the second area that I want to mention first of all the authority of Holy Scripture and then the great truth of the Holy Trinity. Now there's another thing that would be as well to mention, and that is the pre-existence of our Lord. When he was here below, he taught again and again that before he came into this world, he was pre-existent with the Father. The great outstanding passage, of course, is in the Gospel according to John, where he said, before Abraham was, I am. I have been looking recently at an expression that occurs four times in the New Testament. And that expression is before the foundation of the world. And it's most interesting to notice where he finds this expression. First of all, we get it in John chapter seventeen. We find it twice mentioned there in the great high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus. He said, Now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self. with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. That it was before the world came into existence. He was in that glory with the Father. And then in John, verse twenty-four we get these words. Father, I will, that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. So before the foundation of the world, we find that glory that he had with the Father and also the love that existed between God the Father and God the Son. And then in Ephesians chapter one and verse four we get the expression again, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without spot and without blame before him in love. So here we get the choice of the believer before the foundation of the world. And then first Peter chapter one and verse twenty, we read these words, that he was the lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times or years. Now these passages of Scripture make it perfectly plain that our Lord had an existence before the world was, before the foundation of the world. And of course there are the other great doctrinal passages. In other parts of the New Testament, John chapter one, verse one, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then there's a passage that we have already quoted in John chapter eight and verse fifty eight. Before Abram was, he told the Jews, I am. Here he claimed to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament. And then in Philippians chapter two and verse six, again there's the great doctrine of passage. where we find our Lord being in the form of God, thought it not wrongly to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and so on. So these passages of Scripture make it perfectly plain that he was pre-existent before the foundation of the world. And it all can be summed up in that lovely passage in second Corinthians chapter eight and verse nine. He know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he were rich. yet for your sakes he became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich on that little term he was rich rich in glory rich in majesty rich in love before the foundation of the world now these are the three things I want to mention in connection with the foundation of the doctrine concerning the person of Christ first of all the authority of the word and then secondly his pre-existence and then The other matter that we have already mentioned is the truth of the Holy Trinity. And taking the three together, it lays down the foundation of the doctrine of Christ Himself. Now I thought this morning, I would like first of all to bring seven witnesses to the great truth of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the first thing that I would like to mention is the witness of God the Father. You remember when our Lord was here on earth, three times the heavens were open. And three times we get the voice of God the Father speaking about his Son. First of all, at his baptism in Matthew chapter three and verse seventeen. We read there that the heavens were open, and we read that the voice came from heaven. Thou art my well beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And then at the central point of his ministry of the Transfiguration, again we read there that the voice from heaven When our Lord was transfigured between Elijah and Moses, there came the voice of God from heaven. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And then at the end of his public ministry, in John chapter twelve, again we get the heavens opened and God the Father, replying to the voice of his Son, the Lord said, Father, glorify thy name. And the voice came from heaven. I have already glorified it and I will glorify it again. The Lord here, he's speaking of his great work upon Calvary Strauss. Now here is a threefold testimony of God the Father to his beloved Son here below. Now the second witness I would like to mention is his own personal claim. And this brings us to some of the great doctrines of the deity of Christ. in the New Testament. You remember in the Gospel according to Matthew, right at the commencement of that Gospel, chapters five and six and seven, you remember he speaks there about the law, about the Old Testament Scriptures and the revelation that was given to the people of God through Moses. On ten times he uses his expression, but I say unto you, now the Lord is very gentle and very kind in speaking about Moses. He never mentions Moses' name. But he speaks about them of all time. Oh, the delicacy of our blessed Lord. They of all time. And they said, so and so and so and so and so and so and so. But then he said, but I also say unto you. And there he takes the position of being superior to Moses. Now that shows his complete authority. Not only over the Old Testament scriptures, but over all the revelation that has been previously given up to this time. And he takes the position of being superior. completely superior to the law and he's able to say what I say unto you and he adds to it and he puts the stance of his authority upon it so here he's superior to Moses and then a little further on in the Gospel by Matthew he speaks about being superior to the temple I can imagine what the Jews would say that beautiful buildings at the hand that was given by God and he tells them that he himself was superior to the temple greater than the temple. And then he speaks about being greater than Jonah. Here's the prophet. And then finally he said that he's greater than Solomon. Now this is the gospel according to Matthew. And he takes the superior position. First of all, to Moses and the law. And then to the temple. And then to Jonah. And then to Solomon. But it's when we come into the gospel according to John. That we find the outstanding claims of our Lord. And here he claims to be equal with the Father. Now I don't want to trust in my memory here, and I thought I would like to turn to John chapter five and read some of the passages here, for he makes these tremendous living. John chapter five in verse eighteen, verse seventeen. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought some more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath but also said that God was his father, making himself equal with God. Now that is a tremendous claim. Making himself equal with God. Now further down we get these words. Verse nineteen. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeeth the Father doeth, for whatsoever he doeth, these also doeth the Son also. For the Father loveth the Son and show them all things that he himself doeth, and he will show them greater works than these that ye may mark marvel. For as the Father raises up the dead and quickness them, even so the Son quickness whom he wills, For the Father judges no man, but has commended all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son, honors not the Father, which hath sent him. Now here is a claim to complete equality with his Father. Now there are some other claims that he makes here that are most important. First of all, equality. And then he says, as the Father hath life in himself, Even so, the Son also hath life in himself. That is, he is the origin of life. And then he claims to be the judge, the judge of all men. And the reason for that is, he said, because he is the Son of Man. This is a tremendous claim. And then finally, he claims to be the one who will be responsible for the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation in a future day. He is the one. who can send men either to heaven or send them to hell. What a tremendous claim we get here connected with the complete authority and deity of the Lord Jesus. Now let me repeat again. There are four great claims that the Lord makes here. First of all, complete equality with the Father. And then he is the origin of life. And then he claims to be the judge of all men. And finally, he claims to be the one who will be responsible for resurrection. the resurrection of life and the resurrection to damnation. Then again, let me quote again that tremendous passage because it's most important in John chapter eight and verse fifty eight. The Jews there, they're speaking about them being children of Abraham and they both said of that. They claimed that that was their foundation of salvation, the fact that they were children of Abraham. And then he said, before Abram was, before he had a being, he said, I am. And of course, that great term, I am, is a claim to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament Scriptures. Now in John chapter ten and verse thirty, again we find the tremendous expression there, he said, I am the Father, am one. Now that term one there is neuter. It means that he and the Father are one in essence and in substance. Now these are claims to complete equality with God and at the same time to be the Son of God and to be God the Son now the Jews understood those claims and on two occasions they picked up stones to stone him for blasphemy as they called it so as far as the Jewish people were concerned they were under no illusion at all as to what the claims were he claimed to be God himself he claimed to be the Son of God and he claimed to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament Scriptures. So the first witness is the witness of God the Father, and then secondly the claims of God the Son. Now the witness of Holy Scripture is a third witness. In the Old Testament we find three hundred references to the Messiah. And when we look through those different references to the Lord Jesus, in the Old Testament Scriptures we get a complete outline of his personal work. on this complete essential deity. Now, just for the sake of our time this morning, I want to quote four passages from the Old Testament. And I think to make it perfectly plain as to the nature of the person of our Blessed Lord. The first is Isaiah chapter seven and verse fourteen. And we read there about the virgin that shall conceive on Verisana. And his name was to be called Emmanuel. And that word Emmanuel, it means God with us. This is quoted in Matthew chapter one and verse twenty two and applied to our Lord. The Virgin, he was to be called Emmanuel, gone with us. Now the second passage is Isaiah chapter nine and verse six. We read there of the child born the son given and we read of five great names that were given to him. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God. The Father of Eternity and the Prince of Peace. Now that is a claim to complete Godhead. The mighty God, the Father of Eternity and the Prince of Peace. So these two rich fundamental passages in the prophet Isaiah, it shows the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. And then Psalm forty five and verse six. There we get a lovely picture of the bridegroom king. wonderful picture of Christ coming in his millennium glory. And another thing in addressing him, the Holy Spirit uses these words. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. The sceptre of thy kingdom is a righteous sceptre. And in the epistle of the Hebrews, chapter one, that passage is taken and applied to our Lord himself. Because the apostle, in Hebrews chapter one, he said, and unto the Son he said, thy throne. Oh God is for ever and ever. So Psalm forty five in verse six is applied to Christ and he is addressed there as God. Now the fourth passage I want to mention is Zechariah chapter thirteen in verse seven. Here we get a lovely outline of prophetic events. The one who's coming back again in glory to reign as king of kings and lord of lords. But before that outline is given to us in chapter fourteen coming when his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives. We read these words. Away goes sword against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn my hand upon the little one. Notice the term. Away goes sword against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow. And that, again, is a claim to complete equality and complete deity of the one who was to die upon Calvary's cross. So first of all, we have the witness of God the Father. And then the witness of Christ himself, his own claim. And then thirdly, the witness of Holy Scripture. Now the angels. One would love to speak for a little while this morning about the Incarnation. On the angelic testimony to the person who was born in Bethlehem. Read there of the angel of the Lord. And on two occasions, we read of the name Gabriel. And first of all, he comes to Joseph. Joseph was disturbed when he found that Mary was the child. And he thought of putting her away. And we read that the angel of the Lord appeared unto him. And he said, Fear not to take unto thee thy wife. He said, That that is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Here we get the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the angelic testimony to it, the angel of the Lord speaking first of all to Joseph. Then in verse thirty-two, in Luke chapter one, he speaks to Mary. And this is what he says to her. Speaking to her, he said that she was going to bear a child, and he shall be called the son of the highest. This is the testimony of Gabriel, the angel that came and appeared to Mary. And then to the shepherds in the field, we read in speaking to them. The glory of the Lord shone round about him. And the term that is used there is the one who is to be born is a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Notice we turn over to the epistle of the Hebrews. There's a large section there dealing with the superiority of our Lord to angels. And we read, let all the angels of God worship him. So here we get the testimony of the angelic host to the deity of our blessed Lord. Now, a fifth testimony is the testimony of the underworld. In Mark chapter one and verse twenty four, we read of our Lord casting out a demon in the synagogue. And do you remember the demon and speaking through him? He said, I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. There's one thing I'd like to say about the demons and their testimony. They never, never at any time ever called him Lord. That was a term they never took upon their lips. They never addressed him as Lord. It has been said that there were only two, a two-fold reluctance to use the term Lord, and one was Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot, he never or any time ever addressed him as Lord. It was always good master, good master, good master. He deliberately refrained from using the term Lord. And as far as the demons are concerned, they did exactly the same thing. They called him Jesus, but they never used the term Lord. But they knew who he was. And the demon in the synagogue at Capernaum, the testimony was, I know the who they are, the holy one of God. Now again, we find this the same thing in Mark chapter five. And there, when the Lord cast the legion of demons out of the demoniac, in Mark chapter five, you remember what the demon said there. Jesus, the son of the most high God. They besought him that they would cast him into the swine. And they... They pled with them not to torment them, but they confessed that he was the Son of the Most High God. You remember that Satan himself was not the temptation. He used that great word if. And just as he came to our first prayer and said at the beginning, and he threw a doubt into their mind as to the authority of the Word of God, in speaking to our Lord himself, he said, if thou be the Son of God. But at the same time he knew who he was. And again there's another little expression in the epistle to James. It says that demons believe, and they tremble. They believe and tremble. They have no doubt at all about the character of the one that is being spoken about here. He was the Holy One of God, and he was the Son of the Most High God. This is the testimony of the underworld. Now we come to his miracles, and here we get a sixth testimony, a sixth witness to the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he was healed upon air in his public ministry, the Lord performed thirty-five miracles. And they're in four different spheres. First of all, in the spirit of nature. And then secondly, in disease. And then thirdly, demons casting out demons. And fourthly, in the sphere of death. These thirty-five miracles are divided into these four categories. First of all, superior to nature. He turned the water into wine. He walked upon the water. He walked upon the sea. And do you remember in the little boat, Mark chapter four, he arose and he rebuked the storm. And there was a great can. He was superior to nature. And then in the sphere of disease, oh, he healed the leper, cleansed the leper. He opened the eyes of the blind, the deaf, and the dumb he made to speak. And thank God that all disease that he met with, That sympathy in his heart went out to it and he healed those with whom he came in contact. And then demons. There are seven specific cases in the New Testament where the Lord cast out demons. This again, of course, is something that has been called and doubt and denied by certain people. And they say that these people were just ill with epilepsy or some other form of mental trouble. My Bible tells me it was demon possession. And in spite of what people say today, I believe that such a thing is real demon possession. We have met with it again and again, and we haven't doubt in our mind that satanic activity is increasing on every hand, but thank God our Lord was superior to it. And then there are three specific cases where he raised the dead. You know that some would say that in the miracles that our Lord performed, he did it in the power of his Father. And the reason for that is the passage we find in John chapter fourteen where we read, The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. And again there's a passage in Matthew chapter twelve where we read that he cast our demons by the spurs of the Lord. Now the reason I mention the Holy Trinity on the interrelation between the members of the Holy Trinity is to show that they never acted independently. Our Lord never at any time acted independently. He said that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. And all that he did in the sphere of miracles and his conquest in these four different spheres, the Father was there, he was there, and the Holy Ghost was there. And each member of the Holy Trinity was involved in these great works of miracles that he did. And I think we need to get that clearly in mind. Our Lord never acted independently of the will of his Father. Thank God always and ever. The Trinity acted in triunity and in happy fellowship one with another. Someone might say, is there any proof that our Lord did these things in his own power? You remember the very first miracle that he performed in John chapter two, where he turned the water and the wine. What does it say there? It said, we read there that our Lord performed these miracles. It was the first miracle that he performed. And the beginning of his miracles, he did it in his own power. And then at the end of the Gospel according to John, John chapter twenty, we read many other signs, did Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing he might have life through his name. So I think that the miracle that he performed here below, that were given to show that he really was God's manifest and flesh, and that he was performing these in his own personal power. but in fellowship with his Father and also in the energy of the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Holy Trinity was involved in performing these miracles. Then there's apostolic testimony. The seventh great witness is a witness of the Apostles themselves. Now these are passages that have been expanded again and again and among us, and I'm not going to occupy a lot of time, but just to mention just a few of these tremendous doctrinal passages, the testimony of the Apostles themselves. First of all, Simon Peter. at Caesarea Philippi. When the Lord asked him the question, whom do men say that I the Son of Man asked? That term, the Son of Man, I believe is a term which used both in the Old Testament and in the New. It speaks of our Lord as being the great representative man, the typical man, the perfect man, our Lord Jesus Christ. Whom do men say that I the Son of Man asked? Simon Peter replied, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Notice the term that he uses. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Here is the testimony of the Apostle Peter. And then John. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son. Or as it has been translated, God only begotten. Some years ago I heard Dr. Eugene Nida give a series of lectures on the original language in the New Testament and speaking about this passage he said there is manuscript authority for translating it in that way and he gave the manuscripts and the authority they have for saying it and I think it's perfectly true it can be translated in this way no man has seen God at any time the only begotten Son or God only begotten which is in the bosom of the Father he has declared it John So here we get the testimony of the Apostle John himself. You know that tremendous outline of the person of Christ in John chapter one? There are ten witnesses to it of men and women in the Gospel according to John that corroborates what we find at the beginning. I leave it to your own personal investigation to trace the ten men and women in the Gospel according to John that corroborates the great doctrinal outline of the person of Christ that we find in chapter one. And then come at the end. of John's Gospel. Our Lord appeared in the midst. He showed unto them his hands and feet and sighed, then with the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. But Thomas wasn't there. He said, Except I shall see in his hand the print of the nails and thrust my hand into the print of the nails. I will not believe. And our Lord, very graciously a week later in the upper room, he said, Peace be unto you. And he said, Thomas, reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side. reach hither thy finger and put it into the print of the nails and be not faceless but believing. And the highest confession anywhere in the New Testament concerning the person of Christ was given by Thomas that day. Oh, I'd love to have been present to see the way he said it and to see his attitude. He said, my Lord, he confesses lordship. My God, he confesses deity, my Lord and my God. Can there be any higher apostolic testimony to the person of Christ than John and Thomas. John at the beginning and Thomas at the end of this magnificent book, The Gospel According to John. And there's the testimony of the Apostle Paul. And of course the great doctrinal passage is that he is one that we have already read this morning. And by the way, I just want to mention that tremendous statement that Paul makes in Colossians chapter two in verse nine. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Can you imagine a more clear, concise statement concerning the complete deity of our Lord and that statement? For in him dwelleth, present tense, all the fullness. That word fullness, the pleroma, it occurs seventeen times in the New Testament. And in relation to Christ, what we get here is all the attributes and the essence of deity were in him. For in him, in Christ, dwelleth, present in, all the fullness, the essential attributes, the totality of the attributes of the Godhead, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. And by the way, that word Godhead only occurs there in the New Testament. It is a word that has been coined apparently by the Apostle Paul. It is different from the word Godhead we find in Romans chapter one. You remember that the pagan world there? seeing his eternal power and Godhead, the deliberately turned away from the light of the hand. The word there could be translated divinity. But the word in Colossians chapter two on verse nine is deity. Deity in a school of sense. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. Just the other day I was reading an exposition of that in Vincent's word study. And to me it's so important. I think I would like to read what Mr. Vincent has to say about that tremendous, tremendous passage. I think it's important to read it. He says this, the verse contains two distinct assertions, that the fullness of the Godhead eternally dwells in Christ. The present tense, dwelleth, is used to denote an eternal and essential characteristic of Christ being. The indwelling of the divine fullness in him is characteristic of him as Christ. from all ages unto all ages. Hence the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in him before his incarnation." When he was in the form of God, Philippians two six, the word in the beginning was with God, and was God, John one and one. It dwelt in him during his incarnation. It was the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, and his glory which was withheld, was the glory of the only begotten of the Father . The fullness of the Godhead dwells in his glorified humanity in heaven. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in him in a bodily way, clothed with the body. This means that it dwells in him as one having a human body. This could not be true of his pre-incarnate state when he was in the form of God. For the human body was taken on by him in the fullness of time when he became in the likeness of men. when the word became flesh. The fullness of the Godhead dwelt in his person from his birth. Notice that. From his birth to his ascension. He carried his human body with him into heaven, and in his glorified body now and ever dwells the fullness of the Godhead. To me that is a tremendous statement. For in him dwelleth, present tense, all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. To me that absolutely concludes it. as to the person of the Lord Jesus even as a man here below. So here we get apostolic testimony. Now a word or two about the hypostatic union of the Godhead and the humanity in our Lord Jesus Christ. One could give a lot of testimony of different men who have written on this subject and that would take a lot of time. I'm not going to take time in doing it. But it might be as well to read the statement that was made in A.D. , when a group of Bible students and teachers from all over the Christian world gathered together to consider this matter. The person of Christ was being attacked. Some said that when he was here below, he only acted as a man. That is, he never exercised his Godhead here below. And the people of God in every part of the world at that time gathered together to consider this matter and to make a statement concerning it. Now, I made a copy of what they wrote. And I think it would be as well just to read it at this point. This is what they said. Therefore, following the Holy Father, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a rational soul and body, of the same substance as a Father, in respect of his Godhead, and at the same time of the same substance as ourselves, in respect of His manhood, like us in all respect, apart from sin, in respect of His Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet in respect of His manhood, begotten of Mary the Virgin. For us men and for our salvation, one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation. The distinction of natures being in no wise annulled by their union, but rather the properties of both natures being preserved and coming together to form one person, and hypostasis, not as divided or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and only begotten God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, even as the prophet from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the belief of the fathers has handed it down to us. This is a statement that was made at that time concerning the two natures of our Blessed Lord. God, a very God, on the one hand, true man, apart from sin and the other, on the two natures, indissolubly joined one person out of one substance with the Father. Now, it's very, very important at the present time to get that. We can never say he did this as God, he did that as man. We can never separate the two natures of our Blessed Lord. one person but two distinct natures, true God and true man, and the two indissolubly join and join forever. I think John is the man of the glory this afternoon, this morning, and he's one who has glorified humanity and taken it up to the throne. Now just for a minute or two, I want to offer five truths of the deity, just to mention them. The first is his virgin birth. The second is his virtuous life. The third one is his vicarious death upon the cross. The fourth one is his victorious bodily resurrection. The fifth one is his visible ascension to God's right hand. Now those are five great fundamental doctrines of Holy Scripture and they are the proofs of the deity of our Blessed Lord, his virgin birth. That again is important, fundamental today. Born of the Virgin, the Lord chose that young woman, the vehicle to bring his beloved Son into this world, the virgin birth. His virtuous life. Today we'll be hearing about the humanity of our Lord, his temptation in the wilderness and so on. But thank God, here below, at the end of his testimony, his public ministry here below, he could say to the Jews, which of you convinced me is sin? No voice raised there. perfect, holy, sinless life in every sense of the word. His virgin birth is virtuous life, and then his security of death upon the cross. I can draw that that one who died upon the cross was a God-man. And again let me repeat the tremendous passage that deals with it in Hebrews chapter nine and verse fourteen. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spots to God. The blood of Christ, the eternal Spirit, offering Himself without spots to God. The three members of the Holy Trinity in His vicarious death. On them His victorious resurrection. And by the way, all three members of the Godhead are mentioned in connection with His resurrection. We read that He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. And then He said Himself, you remember in John chapter ten, He said, no man takeeth my life from me. I lay it down of myself. I have far to lay it down, and I have far to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. And then we read two of the Holy Spirit of God being involved in his resurrection. So in practically every one of these great fundamental doctrines of Holy Scripture concerning the person of Christ, the Holy Trinity, working in unity and harmony and fellowship one with the other. His virgin birth? his virtuous life, his vicarious death, his victorious resurrection, and then his visible ascension to God's right hand. There are fourteen passages in the New Testament that deal with the ascension. And again, this is a tremendous field for investigation. But thank God the one who has gone up, the victorious, the victor over death and sin and hell, on the cross has gone up to the throne, and that is where he is this morning. Now, just before I close, I want to just use that doxology that the Apostle Paul uses. You remember in First Timothy. And when he's speaking here about the person of Christ and the relation of the believer to him, this is what he says. Now unto the king, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, the honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. And we too can say... Amen and amen. May God bless his word for his answers.