Jesus Christ: "Lord, Liar or Lunatic"

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Exalting Jesus Christ
"Lord, Liar or Lunatic"
INTRODUCTION:
I. The book in our Bibles we call the gospel of John is truly unique because it
is devoted to proving only one thing – the deity of Jesus Christ.
A. From the first chapter of his gospel record to the last, the apostle John
boldly proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
1. But more than that, John affirms that Jesus is God the Son – God
incarnate; God the Son who came down to earth in human form;
God wrapped in human flesh.
2. So, it is no surprise that John made these two bold statements in
his gospel:
a. John 20:30-31 – And truly Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in
His name.
b. John 21:25 – And there are also many other things that Jesus
did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even
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the world itself could not contain the books that would be
written. Amen.
3. And yet, despite all the evidence John provides, there are still
those who refuse to believe in the deity of Christ.
a. They will admit Jesus was an exceptional man who went
around doing good.
b. Or, they will admit Jesus was a great teacher and philosopher
in light of the moral and ethical principles He taught.
c. But they deny Jesus was the Son of God – deny that Jesus
was God incarnate.
B. C.S. Lewis, who was a professor at Cambridge University and a former
agnostic, wrote this wonderful defense for believing Jesus is the Son of
God:
1. "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing
that people often say about Him (Jesus): 'I'm trying to accept Jesus
as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'
That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a
man and said the sort of things Jesus said 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.
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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
up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
2. And so, to defend his faith in Jesus Christ, C.S. Lewis proposed
what he called "The Great Trilemma."
a. A "dilemma" is a choice between two possibilities.
b. But Lewis coined the word "trilemma" because when it comes
to the claims Jesus made, we're left with three possibilities.
c. He is the Lord, a liar, or a lunatic.
II. This morning we come to the end of a long, but hopefully, a rich and
rewarding journey through the gospel of John.
A. We've called this series "Exalting Jesus Christ" because that's what we
do as Christians.
1. We exalt Jesus Christ – we proclaim and praise Jesus Christ as
our Lord and our God.
a. We believe that the claims Jesus made of being the Son of
God are true, and that those claims are backed up by many
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infallible proofs – the greatest of which is His bodily
resurrection from the dead.
2. And so, as we bring this series of lessons to a close I want to take
one final look at those astonishing claims Jesus made, and see for
ourselves whether they were made by the Lord, by a liar and
deceiver, or by a raving lunatic.
BODY:
I. To begin, I want to remove any doubts some may have about Jesus
claiming He was not only the Son of God, but that He was absolutely equal
with God the Father in every way.
A. The gospel of John provides us with several instances where Jesus
claimed equality with God – thus making Himself God.
1. John 10:30-33 – "I and My Father are one." Then the Jews took
up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good
works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works
do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good
work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You,
being a Man, make Yourself God."
a. When Jesus said, "I and My Father are one," He used a word
that means "one in essence, or one in substance, and one in
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nature" – meaning Jesus is "of the same divine essence, the
same divine substance, and the same divine nature" as God
the Father. Jesus is claiming His own deity.
b. A.T. Robertson, a Greek scholar, writes, "This crisp statement
is the climax of Christ's claims concerning the relationship
between the Father and Himself (the Son). They stir the
Pharisees to uncontrolled anger."
c. It is clear to see from the reaction of His enemies, they had
absolutely no doubts that Jesus was claiming equality with
God the Father, thus making Himself God.
d. To the enemies of Jesus, His words were nothing short of
blasphemy – that's why they immediately took up stones to
stone Him in keeping with the Law of Moses.
(1). Leviticus 24:16 – "And whoever blasphemes the name
of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the
congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as
well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes
the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death."
e. These men were so outraged by Jesus claiming to be equal
with God it seems they forgot that Rome had taken away their
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authority to execute people for crimes against the Law of
Moses. They were ready to kill Jesus on the spot.
f. However, some say these Jews simply misunderstood what
Jesus said. They say He wasn't claiming to be "one" in divine
essence or substance with God the Father, but simply "one in
purpose" or "one in agreement" with God.
g. The problem with that explanation is that it's not blasphemy to
say you are "one in purpose" or "one in agreement" with God
– everyone should be one in purpose and one in agreement
with God.
h. No one misunderstood Jesus. The Lord claimed He and the
Father were one in essence, one in substance, and one in
nature – a holy and divine essence, substance and nature.
Jesus was claiming to be God as well.
2. On another occasion Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, which
the enemies of Jesus said was a violation of the Sabbath law
against doing work of any kind – including healing.
a. John 5:17-18 – But Jesus answered them, "My Father has
been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore
the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only
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broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father,
making Himself equal with God.
b. A.T. Robertson writes, "Jesus distinctly says, 'My Father'…
not 'our Father,' a claim to a peculiar relation to the Father.
'Worketh even until now'... Jesus put himself on a par with
God's activity and thus justifies his healing on the Sabbath."
(1). The Jews would never think of addressing God as "My
Father" unless they added the phrase "in heaven" – "My
Father in heaven." They felt addressing God as "My
Father" would be claiming equality with God.
(2). But, in the passage we just read (John 5:17-18) Jesus
didn't say "My Father in heaven." He specifically called
God "My Father," making Himself equal with God.
c. Furthermore, the Jews clearly understood the implication of
Jesus saying He works whenever God works.
(1). As we mentioned earlier, Jesus had just healed a man on
the Sabbath by the power of God.
(2). Therefore, since God the Father had obviously performed
this work of healing on the Sabbath, Jesus claimed to
have the same authority to do His works on the Sabbath
because He is God the Son.
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d. These are the reasons why the Jews sought to kill Him. They
knew exactly what Jesus was claiming.
3. John 8:58-59 – Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at
Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them, and so passed by.
a. The term "I AM" (Greek "ego eimi") means "the Eternally
Existent One," or "the Eternal One."
(1). In the Old Testament, "I AM" was a name God reserved
exclusively for Himself.
(2). In fact, "I AM" is how God identified Himself when He
addressed Moses from the burning bush. (Exodus 3:14).
(3). God also used the words "I AM" when describing Himself
as the one true God. (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah
43:10).
b. When Jesus said, "before Abraham was, I AM," He was also
claiming to be the "I AM" of the Old Testament – "the Eternally
Existent One," or the "Eternal One!"
(1). Jesus didn't say, "before Abraham was, I was" – meaning
He lived before Abraham lived.
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(2). Instead, He said, "before Abraham was, I AM" – meaning
He is just as eternal and self-existent, as the Father is
eternal and self-existent.
II. Now that there is no mistake about Jesus claiming equality with God the
Father, let's apply C.S. Lewis' "Great Trilemma" and see where it leads us.
A. When we consider the claims Jesus made of being the Son of God and
therefore being equal to the Father, we are left with only two choices:
1. His claims were false.
2. Or, His claims were true.
B. If His claims were false, then there are only two possibilities:
1. He knew His claims were false.
2. Or, He didn't know His claims were false.
C. Let's assume for a moment that Jesus knew His claims were false –
what would that say about Him?
1. First, we would have to say Jesus deliberately misrepresented
Himself.
a. We could not say this was simply a mistake.
b. If Jesus knew His claims were false, then He deliberately
misrepresented Himself as the Messiah.
2. Second, we would also have to say Jesus is a liar.
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a. We could not say Jesus accidently claimed to be the Son of
God.
b. Nor could we say it was the disciples who made these false
claims about Jesus being the Son of God – implying that
Jesus never made those claims Himself.
c. Don't forget, the Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy on
the basis of His own testimony of being the Son of God, not on
the testimony of His disciples or anyone else.
(1). Mark 14:61-64 – Again the high priest asked Him, saying
to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"
Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the
clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothes
and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?"
And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.
d. So, there can be absolutely no mistake about it – Jesus not
only openly and deliberately claimed to be the Son of God, He
made those claims long before His disciples ever wrote a
single word in the gospel records.
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e. And if He knew those claims were false, then that would make
Him a liar.
3. Third, if Jesus knew He was not the Son of God, then we would
have to conclude He is a hypocrite.
a. The word hypocrite originated in the Greek theater.
(1). It referred to actors on a stage – actors who spoke their
lines while wearing the ornate masks that were commonly
used in ancient Greek plays.
(2). Eventually the term came to be applied to anyone who
pretended to be something they are not – something that
was completely different from their true character.
b. It's an established fact that Jesus repeatedly claimed to be the
Son of God.
(1). So, if Jesus was nothing more than a mere mortal like
everyone else, He was the world's greatest hypocrite – a
man pretending to be something He was not.
4. Fourth, if Jesus knew He was not the Son of God, and yet tried to
make everyone believe He was, we could also say Jesus was
demonically influenced.
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a. Only someone who was unspeakably evil would mislead
people into believing He could heal them, forgive them of their
sins, and give them eternal life.
b. The Bible tells us the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John
8:44).
c. Therefore, if Jesus deliberately and intentionally lied about
being the Son of God, the very least we could say about Him
is that He was demonically influenced.
5. And finally, if Jesus knew He was not equal to God, and yet made
that claim, we could also say Jesus died a fool.
a. His claims of being the Son of God is what ultimately led to
His crucifixion.
b. Therefore, if Jesus was only a man and deliberately tried to
convince everyone He was the Son of God, He died a
complete fool.
c. Only a complete fool would needlessly suffer the most cruel
and agonizing form of death imaginable.
D. But what if Jesus did not know His claims were false? What if He
actually believed He was the Messiah when, in fact, He was not?
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1. If Jesus was not the Son of God and yet believed He was, then the
best we could say is that He was deluded – maybe sincerely
deluded – but deluded nonetheless.
a. This would mean Jesus was weak and impressionable, and
that someone – perhaps His followers – convinced Him that
He was the Messiah.
b. In other words, Jesus was gullible and was simply deceived
into believing He was the Son of God.
c. That's the best we could say about Jesus.
2. However, if Jesus was not the Son of God and yet truly believed
He was, then the worst possible scenario would make Jesus a
raving lunatic with delusions of grandeur.
a. In fact, that's how the brothers of Jesus saw Him – His own
family believed He was insane.
b. When Jesus upset the Pharisees by performing miracles on
the Sabbath day, word of this soon got back to His family.
(1). Mark 3:21 – But when His own people heard about this,
they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out
of His mind."
c. And then we read where the brothers of Jesus mocked Him by
essentially saying, "If you want everyone to know you're the
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Messiah, then why don't you go down to Judea and Jerusalem
and show yourself there instead of hiding out up here in
Galilee."
(2). John 7:2-5 – Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at
hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from
here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see
the works that You are doing. For no one does anything
in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If
You do these things, show Yourself to the world." For
even His brothers did not believe in Him.
d. Therefore, if Jesus believed He was God when He was
nothing more than a simple mortal man, we would have to
place Jesus in the same category of every other lunatic who
claimed to be God.
e. And don't forget, Jesus not only claimed to be God, He also
claimed that He would be resurrected from the dead exactly
three days after His crucifixion!
f. If none of those claims are true, then only a lunatic with
delusions of grandeur would dare make claims like that.
E. So, if the claims Jesus made of being the Son of God were all false, we
are left with only the two choices – He was either a liar or a lunatic.
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1. However, claiming Jesus was either a liar or a raving lunatic
creates a huge problem for the skeptic or atheist.
2. When we carefully examine the life and the teachings of Jesus,
there is simply no way anyone could honestly say Jesus was a liar
or a lunatic.
a. The life and teachings of Jesus are certainly not those of a liar
and deceiver.
(1). His teachings raised the moral consciousness of mankind
to the highest level imaginable.
(2). There are no other moral or ethical teachings that even
begin to compare to those of Jesus.
b. And the character of Jesus certainly is not that of a lunatic with
delusions of grandeur.
(1). He never acted irrationally or illogically, but was always in
complete control of every situation.
(2). Even the way Jesus treated His most bitter enemies
speaks of one who possessed great emotional strength
and stability.
III. So, if Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic, then we are left with only one
conclusion.
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A. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, and claimed equality with the
Father, because those claims are true.
1. And if those claims are true, then we are left with only one choice.
We must accept the fact that Jesus is Lord!
a. This means Jesus is the Son of God, and is equal to the
Father, just as He claimed (John 10:30-33; John 5:17-18;
John 8:58-59).
b. This also means Jesus is worthy of the same honor we give to
God the Father.
(1). Jesus said: John 5:21-23 – For as the Father raises the
dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to
whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has
committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor
the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not
honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
c. And if the claims of Jesus are true, this also means He is
worthy of the same worship we give to God the Father.
(1). Perhaps this explains why Jesus accepted worship:
Matthew 8:2 – And behold, a leper came and worshiped
Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
clean."
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(2). There are other examples where Jesus openly accepted
the worship and adoration of others. (cf. John 9:35-39;
Matthew 14:33)
B. And finally, if Jesus truly is Lord, then that leaves us with only two
choices:
1. We accept Him as our Lord and Savior by:
a. Believing that Jesus truly is the Son of God (cf. John 3:16;
Hebrews 11:6).
b. Repenting of our sins (cf. Luke 13:3).
c. Confessing our faith in Him (cf. Matthew 10:32; Romans
10:9-10).
d. Being baptized in His name for the remission of sins (cf. Acts
2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:21).
2. Or, we reject Him.
a. Sadly, some do reject Jesus as the Lord of their life despite all
the evidence proving He is the Son of God.
b. It's sad because those who reject Jesus as Lord and Christ
will eventually face serious consequences for that choice.
(1). Luke 10:16 – "He who hears you hears Me, he who
rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects
Him who sent Me."
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(2). Jesus is saying if we reject Him we are also rejecting God
who sent Him.
(3). And if we reject God we cannot go to heaven when we
die, but will have to face the terrible consequences of
eternal torment.
CONCLUSION:
I. When you honestly examine the life and teachings of Jesus, and when you
examine the irrefutable evidence of the resurrection, there is really only one
conclusion you can reach about that man from Galilee.
A. Jesus truly is the Son of God.
1. But it's not enough to simply reach the proper conclusion about the
deity of Jesus, the Lord expects you to act on that understanding.
a. You need to believe and accept the truth about Jesus, and
then surrender your life to Him in complete obedience – just
as we mentioned earlier.
b. Have you done that? Have you accepted the truth about
Jesus and come to Him in complete faith and obedience?
2. And if you've done that, but have since wandered away from the
Lord, you also need to act.
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a. You need to empty yourself of all pride, and humbly come
back to the Lord in genuine repentance.
b. Come confessing your sins to God the Father, so that you can
once again be cleansed by the blood of God the Son.
3. Whatever you do, don't leave here this morning until you have truly
surrendered all to Jesus and made Him the Lord of your life.

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