Welcome to

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Welcome to Mars Hill
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The market place of ideas
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We live in a Jesus haunted, Biblically illiterate
society.
Ben Witherington III Asbury Seminary
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The Da Vinci Code has capitalized on three
intersecting cultural trends
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The Da Vinci Code has capitalized on three
intersecting cultural trends

• Widespread skepticism.
• Enormous spiritual confusion.
• Deep spiritual hunger.

Ray Pritchard
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The sermon series
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Week 1 The Code or The Christ? Which is
TRUTH? Week 2 Browns Book or the Bible?
Who tells the TRUTH? Week 3 Power or
Purpose? Why does the Church exist? Week 4
Crossing Over How can I share The TRUTH with
my friends?
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gnosticism video
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Week 1 The Code or The Christ? Which is
TRUTH?
DVC
DVC Quotes
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At this gathering, Teabing said, many aspects
of Christianity were debated and voted upon the
date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the
administration of the sacraments, and, of course,
the divinity of Jesus. I dont follow. His
divinity?
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My dear, Teabing declared, until that moment
in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as
a mortal propheta great and powerful man, but a
man nonetheless. A mortal. Not the Son of God?
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Right, Teabing said, Jesus establishment as
The Son of God was officially proposed and
voted on by the Council of Nicaea. Hold on.
Youre saying Jesus divinity was the result of a
vote? A relatively close vote at that, Teabing
added.
The Da Vinci Code p. 233
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Constantine upgraded Jesus status almost four
centuries after Jesus death. As I mentioned,
Teabing clarified, the early Church needed to
convince the world that the mortal prophet Jesus
was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that
described earthly aspects of Jesus life had to
be omitted from the Bible.
The Da Vinci Code p. 234
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Almost everything our fathers taught us about
Christ is false.
The Da Vinci Code p. 235
The greatest story ever told is, in fact, the
greatest story ever sold.
The Da Vinci Code p. 267
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Anothers quote (and my objective today)
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I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
really foolish thing that people often say about
Him I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I dont accept His claim to be God.
That is the one thing we must not say.
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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 the
level with a man who says he's a poached egg --
or else he'd be the devil of hell. You must make
your choice.
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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 is feet and
call Him Lord and God.
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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.
Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis
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Today's Questions
Was Jesus perceived as divine before 325 AD? What
did the Council of Nicaea accomplish?
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The Identity of Jesus
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The Identity of Jesus

• His statements about Himself

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13 When Jesus came to the region of
Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, "Who
do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They
replied, "Some say John the Baptist others say
Elijah and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." 15 "But what about you?" He
asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon
Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God."
Matthew 1613-16
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64I charge you under oath by the living
God Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of
God. Yes, it is as you say, Jesus replied. "But
I say to all of you In the future you will see
the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the
Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and
said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need
any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the
blasphemy. 66 What do you think? "He is
worthy of death," they answered.
Matthew 2664-66
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My Father is working until now, and I myself am
working. (John 517) If you knew Me, you
would know the Father. (John 819) I and
the Father are One. (John 830) If you
have seen Me, you have seen the
Father. (John 1245)
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The Identity of Jesus

• His statements about Himself
• How His adversaries understood Him

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24 The Jews gathered around Him, saying,
"How long will You keep us in suspense? If You
are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus
answered, "I did tell you, but you do not
believe. The miracles I do in My Father's name
speak for Me, 26 but you do not believe
30 I and the Father are One."
John 1024-33
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31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone
Him, 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have
shown you many great miracles from the Father.
For which of these do you stone me?" 33 "We
are not stoning You for any of these," replied
the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because You, a mere
man, claim to be God."
John 1024-33
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The Identity of Jesus

• His statements about Himself
• How His adversaries understood Him
• What the earliest disciples believed

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He is the image of the invisible God, the
Firstborn over all creation. Colossians 115
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He is the image of the invisible God, the
Firstborn over all creation. Colossians
115 For God was pleased to have all His
fullness dwell in Him. Colossians 119
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For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form. Colossians 29
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For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form. Colossians 29
Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be
grasped. Philippians 26
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The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the
exact representation of His being. Hebrews 13
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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was
with God in the beginning. John 11-2
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30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in
the presence of His disciples, which are not
recorded in this book. 31 But these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God John 2030-31
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As evidenced by numerous things the Twelve later
said and did, they did not at this time have a
full comprehension of the Trinity or even of the
full nature and work of Christ. But they knew
Jesus was truly the Christ and that He was truly
divine, the Son of the living God.
John MacArthur

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The Identity of Jesus

• His statements about Himself
• How His adversaries understood Him
• What the earliest disciples believed
• The consensus of the church fathers

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For our God Jesus Christ. Ignatius (110
A.D.) Epistle to the Ephesians ...the
Father of the universe has a Son Who being the
logos and First-begotten is also God." Justin
Martyr (d. 164) First Apology 6315
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"...in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord,
and God, and Savior, and King, according to the
will of the invisible Father, . . ." Irenaeus
(d. ca. 200) Against Heresies
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"Both as God and as man, the Lord renders us
every kind of help and service. As God He
forgives sin, as man He educates us to avoid sin
completely" Clement of Alexandria (d. ca.
215) Christ the Educator, chapter 3.1
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"And the blessed John in the testimony of his
gospelIf then the Word was with God and was also
God, what follows? Would one say that he speaks
of two Gods? I shall not indeed speak of two
Gods, but of one of two persons however, and of
a third economy, the grace of the Holy Ghost."
Hippolytus (d. ca 236) Against the Heresy of One
Noetus
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the arrangement of the sentences might be
thought to indicate an order we have first, 'in
the beginning was the Word,' then 'And the Word
was with God,' and thirdly, 'and the Word was
God,' so that it might be seen that the Word
being with God makes Him God Origen (d. ca.
254) Commentary on John
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"The first thing you notice when you read the
early 'church fathers' is that they are
completely convinced Jesus is God Himself. I'm
talking about those bishops and teachers from the
100s and 200s as welllong before the Nicaean
Council." Chris Armstrong Christian History
Newsletter
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Today's Questions
Was Jesus perceived as divine before 325 AD? What
did the Council of Nicaea accomplish?
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The Council of Nicaea 325AD
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Arius Jesus first, perfect
creation through which all else was created,
nonetheless separate from God
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Arius Jesus first, perfect
creation through which all else was created,
nonetheless separate from God
Athanasius Jesus uniquely, eternally
begotten and shared the same substance as God
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"Arius' views were all the more popular
because he combined an eloquent preaching style
with a flair for public relations. In the
opening stages of the conflict, he put ideas into
jingles, which, set to simple tunes like a radio
commercial, were soon being sung by the
dock-workers, the street hawkers, and the school
children of the city. The struggle with Arianism
itself was settled quickly. Bruce Shelly Church
History In Plain Language
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The Creed of Nicaea We believe in one
God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of
heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and
unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God, eternally
begotten of the Father, God from God, Light
from Light, true God from true God, begotten,
not made, of one Being with the Father.
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This creed, written by the council, was passed
214 to 2. However, NO ONE who voted believed
Jesus was not fully God as well as fully man.
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Today's Questions
Was Jesus perceived as divine before 325 AD? What
did the Council of Nicaea accomplish?
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If you dont believe that I am the One I claim
to be - you will die in your sins.
John 824
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Who do you say that I am?
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That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is
Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is
with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved.
Romans 109-10
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• Confess to God your need for a Savior and
  pardon for sin
• Confess to God that Jesus is Lord and Savior
• Confess to man your willingness to serve and
  follow Jesus w/o apology and w/o rival.

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