Jesus-Looking God Conference, The Supremacy of the Cross

Jesus-Looking God Conference
Fri. Sep. 14/18, 7 pm Session
By: Greg Boyd

The Supremacy of the Cross

Intro: a) BethelStudent 7 mental pie of God all important
b) passion for God will never outrun beauty of your pie ofGod
c) kingdom quality of your life will never outrun beauty of pie ofGod
d) neurological studies show health of brain affected by pie of God (Jennings,God Shaped Brain).
e) Most people have montage mental pic
f) according to NT, our pic of God should be centered on Jesus, and especially of Jesus Christ

i. Centrality of Christ

1. The Son is God is exactly like
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Heb 1:1-3).

a) “throughtheprophetsatmanytimesandinvariousways(polymeros:“glimpsesoftruth,” Phillipstranslation)

b) “heir of all things… through whom also he made the universe” (Jn 1:2; Eph 1:10; Col1:15-7)
* He embodies God’s wisdom and purpose for all things (I Cor 1:24; 30; Col 2:3)
* All things will be consummated and harmonized under him (Eph1:9-11;Cp;1:19-20)
“Jesus Christ is the object of all things, the center towards which all things tend.” Blaise Pascal

c) “his Son” = Godin

d) “radiance of God’sglory”

e) “exact representation (charakter) of his being”(huppostasis)

 2. Jesus’ authority is greater than any OTauthor/prophet
a) “I have testimony weightier than that of John” (Jn5:36)

b) “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Mt11:27).

c) “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (Jn1:17-18).

“Jesus does not have a relative su periorit y, but an absolute superiority” [to previous rev elation s ]. Hence, “[t ]h e Son’s revelation cannot … have any rivals.” Greg Burge

d) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eyefor eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist anevil person…. love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children ofyour Father in heaven” (Mt 5:38-39,44-45)

e) ….HisdisciplesJamesand John….said,”Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of]] (Lk 9:54-55,NAS)

f) Luke 9:28-36 (Mount of Transfiguration).
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen (vv.34-6)

3. Jesus is the One Complete Revelation ofGod
a) Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life,” and “no one comes to the Father except through  [him]” (Jn 14:6, cf. 5:17-26; 6:44-6, 57;8:19, 28; 14:6; 17:3)

b) Jesus is the eternal Word of God (Jn 1:1; Rev19:13)

c) Jesus is the light of God (Jn 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12;9:5)

d) All the wisdom of God is found in him (1 Cor 1:24, 30; Col2:2-3)

e) … “in Christ all (pan) the fullness (pleroma)of the Deity (theotes) lives in bodily form” (Col 2:9; 1:19)

f) Jesus said, “Don’t you know me, Philip … ? Anyone who has seen me has seenthe Father. How canyou say, ‘Show us the Father”‘(14:9)?

4. He is the “life” of all Scripture and all Scriptureis abouthim.

a) John 5:39-40, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life…. Ifyoubelieved Moses,youwouldbelieve me,forhe wroteaboutme.Butsinceyoudonotbelievewhat he wrote, how are you going to believe what Isay?”

b) Luke 24:25-7, 45-6 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself …. Hesaid to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everythingmust be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written:The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the thirdday,

“Jesus says the whole Old Testament, not merely a few selected texts , is about him.” Graham Goldsworthy

“Christ him self indicates that the Old Testament from beginning to end is about himself”…The whole of the Old Testament … has as its central message the suffering and resurrection ofChrist.” Vern Poythress

ii.  The Centrality of theCross
“cross”= through line of Jesus’ life and ministry

1.  The Gospels are from the start oriented toward the crucifixion.
“The Gospels are passion narratives with extended introductions.” Martin Kahler.

2. Paul equates the “Gospel” with” the message of the cross” (e.g.I Cor 1:17-18, 23; 3:18)
* “I’ve resolved to nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Cor2:2).

3. In John, Jesus says he glories the Father when he is crucified ( Jn 12:27-28, 31-33; 13:31-32).

4.  The cross revolutionized Paul’s conception ofGod.
* “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but  to us  who are being saved it is the power of God. we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and  Greeks, Christ  the power  of God  and thewisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:18, 23-24).

5.  The cross defines the kind of love God IS.
* “God is love” (I Jn4:8)
* “Here is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. So also we should lay down our life for one another” (I Jn3:16)
* The Crucified Christ reveals a God of indiscriminating, non-violent, self-sacrificial, enemy-embracing love. Jesus establishes that loving like this is the proof thatwe are “children of [our] Father in heaven,” because this is how he loves (Mt 5:44-5; Lk6:27-36).

Close: What of violent depictions of God in OT? Tomorrow see that reading Bible through lens of the cross changes everything.

Jesus-Looking God Conference, The Supremacy of the Cross, Powerpoint Slides

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