What Think
Ye Of Christ?
James L. Reynolds
(Matthew
22:35-46) "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him
a question, tempting him, and saying, {36} Master, which is the great commandment
in the law? {37} Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. {38}
This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. {40} On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets. {41} While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, {42} Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose
son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. {43} He saith unto them,
How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, {44} The Lord said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy
footstool? {45} If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? {46} And
no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day
forth ask him any more questions."
This
morning we would like to briefly focus our attention on five words from
the above verses of scripture. Those words are recorded for us by God the
Holy Spirit as they were spoken by God the Son. Those five short words
comprise a question that is of eternal importance to every person who has
ever lived or who shall ever live upon this earth.
Listen as our Lord and Savior ask that everlastingly important question.
"What think ye of Christ?"
In the immediate context of the above Scriptures our Lord follows up with
another question, "whose son is he?" And while we certainly are
not attempting to separate the words of our Lord we feel that we are doing
no violence to the inspired Word of God when we submit unto you that there
is much more to be answered to our Lord's first question, "What think
ye of Christ?" than, "whose son is he?".
Trusting in the leadership of the blessed Holy Spirit this morning we would
like to take note of how three classes or groups of people might respond
to the weighty and penetrating question of our dear Lord, "What think
ye of Christ?"
I.) How would the irreligious or infidels of the world reply to that question?
II.) How would the religious world reply to that question?
III.) How would God's saints reply to that question?
I.) First let us momentarily ponder how the irreligious or infidels of
the world reply to the question, "What think ye of Christ?" What
do the self proclaimed intellectuals of this world think of the Lord Jesus
Christ?
I would imagine that if we were to ask a hundred people of that group the
question, "What think ye of Christ?" that we would probably get
a hundred different answers. But, undoubtedly upon examining each of those
answers we would see that they all flow from the same stream of total corruption
and depravity.
Many of them will claim that they think that the 'historical Jesus' was
a good man who upset the establishment and that led to His death. Now while
we certainly take no exception with the statement that Jesus was a 'good
man', in fact He is the only good man who ever walked upon this earth,
we take exception to the implication in their statement. For by implication
they are saying that He was ONLY a man!
When the rich young man came to Jesus, addressed Him as 'Good Master'
and asked Him what must he do to inherit eternal life, Jesus replied to
him by also asking him a question.
(Mark 10:17-18)
"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and
kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may
inherit eternal life? {18} And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me
good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
Some
have attempted to pervert this Scripture, as they have many others, and
use it in their blasphemous denial of the deity of the Lord Jesus. They
irreverently proclaim that Jesus said He was not good and therefore He
was not God.
Our sinless Lord did not say that He was not good. He posed the question
to the young man, "Why callest thou me good?" He was in fact once
again proclaiming and asserting His divinity by posing the question to
the young man, "Do you know that only God is good and that I AM GOD?" The
young man was absolutely correct when he addressed our Lord as 'Good Master'.
The Bible clearly declares: "But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians
2:14)
Therefore we greatly err when we expect the lost person to understand those
spiritual things of God's word and therefore have a correct concept of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is however such an overwhelming amount of historical evidence that
the Lord Jesus Christ did indeed live, and that He was indeed crucified
by the Romans at the express wishes of the Jews that the intellectuals
can not deny His existence. As a result of that irrefutable evidence they
attempt to put forth the vile lie that although there was indeed a man
who was named Jesus, he was just a man. Many will concede that he was a
man and a good man but, they affirm, just a man.
Beloved I assure you, based on the inspired Word of God, that they all
will one day acknowledge that not only was He a man, yea a good man, but
that He is also God!
(Philippians
2:9-11) "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given
him a name which is above every name: {10} That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; {11} And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Those
self proclaimed intellectuals have come up with all sorts of blasphemous
stories relative to the conception and birth of our sinless Savior. I will
not profane this pulpit by mentioning any of them but will emphatically
declare to you this morning, that any account of the conception and birth
of our Lord Jesus Christ which does not clearly, boldly and unashamedly
declare that He was conceived of a virgin by the miraculous workings of
the blessed Holy Spirit and that He was born of that virgin, who knew not
her husband until after His birth, is a damnable lie brought forth by the
father of lies, that fallen angel, satan!
Then there are those who, while not so vile as to attempt to discredit
or dishonor our Lord's birth, claim that while they don't believe Him to
be the Son of God or God the Son they are not against Him and acknowledge
that much good has been done in the world in His name.
Beloved, there is no middle ground or neutrality concerning what one thinks
of Christ! A person is only deceiving themselves when they say that although
they are not for Him they are not against Him either.
(Matthew
12:30) "He that is not with me is against me; and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."
The
people of the world need to be told that if they are not with the Son of
God they are against Him. And what a frightening thing it is
to be on the other side of or against God!
Remember that the question under consideration is, what do the irreligious
or infidels of the world think of Christ.
(Psalms
10:4) "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will
not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."
The
psalmist, in speaking of the wicked says that "God is not in all his
thoughts", and I propose unto you that in many of the wicked God is
not in their thoughts at all. They attempt to put God out of their mind.
For if they acknowledged that there is a God then, they reason, He might
hold them accountable for their actions. They may receive some comfort
in their sins from their denial of God but rest assured that it is only
a temporary relief.
We might also note in the psalmist's above declaration that it is wicked
who have not God in all of their thoughts. There is certainly a lesson
for God's people in that statement.
Those who claim to have no thoughts of the Lord Jesus or those who make
vile and wicked statements about Him will surely one day regret their lack
of thoughts or those wicked thoughts. Assuredly, in this world or in the
world to come everyone will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God!
In the courts of this land an 'eye witness' is often sufficient to affect
the outcome of a verdict. Note if you will what one eye witness to the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ had to say on the subject of "whose son
is he?".
(Mark 15:34-39)
"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? {35} And some of them that stood by, when they heard
it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. {36} And one ran and filled a sponge
full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let
alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. {37} And Jesus
cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. {38} And the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. {39} And when the
centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and
gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God."
II.)
How would the religious world reply to that question "What think ye
of Christ?"
When we speak of the religious world we are referring to Christianity,
so-called. Islamism, Hinduism, Buddhism and all of the other 'isms' can
be lumped, in the main part, with the God deniers of the previously considered
point, for to deny Christ is God is to deny God.
The so-called Christianity which we refer to is comprised of religious
people who are unsaved. These people may "outwardly appear righteous
unto men, but within ye (are) full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
(Matthew 23:28)
These people outwardly appear righteousness and disgusted by those who
take no thoughts of the Lord Jesus Christ or by those who make profane
and sacrilegious statements about Him. Yet, upon examination of their thoughts
or concepts of Him, in light of His Holy Word, we find that they are also
guilty of blasphemous and heretical statements relative to God the Son.
Whereas many of the irreligious or infidels of the world have no
concept of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is they have no thoughts about Him,
the religious (but unsaved) have many thoughts about Him. But in many instances
they have a malformed concept of Him!
Certainly one of the common heresies which many of the religious world
attempt to put forth under the guise of Christianity is the denial of the
deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. That denial of our Lord's divinity and
deity is the common thread which binds most of the cults together.
Personal conversations with a Mormon and a Russelite (I prefer not to call
them Jehovah's witness) along with some readings about their founders and
their beliefs have convinced me that they do not know the Jesus of the
Bible. Not only do they not know about Him, they do not know Him.
When posed with the question, "What think ye of Christ?" these cultists
reluctantly admit that He is the Son of God, but most will adamantly refuse
to admit that He is God the Son. I once had a Mormon tell me that he indeed
believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. When I asked if he also
believed that Jesus was God the Son he responded something to the effect
that he did not understand the question.
These heretics claim that the Lord Jesus never asserted He was God. However,
the inspired narrative gives many examples of our Lord's declaring that
very fact.
The Jews knew exactly that the Lord Jesus was claiming to be God and their
response was to take up stones to stone Him to death.
(John 10:29-33)
"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able
to pluck them out of my Father's hand. {30} I and my Father are one. {31}
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. {32} Jesus answered them,
Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works
do ye stone me? {33} The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we
stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man,
makest thyself God."
Those
Jews to whom our Lord asked, "whose son is he" would feel right
at home with the cults of today. Those Jews said that He was the son of
David and their clear implication is that while He was the son of David
He was only a man.
While it is true that Christ was of the lineage of the house of David,
He was before David. In fact He was before David's oldest ancestor. He
told the Jews on one occasion, "Before Abraham was, I AM". (John
8:58)
In refusing to acknowledge the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ these religionists
are guilty of thinking lightly, disrespectfully and dishonorably of Him.
(John 5:22-23)
"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son: {23} That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the
Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath
sent him."
When
one denies that Christ is God they are certainly not honoring Him or the
Father.
Then there are those who, while acknowledging the deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ, think of Him as inferior to the Father. In the graduated Godhead
of their concept God the Father is superior to God the Son who is superior
to God the Holy Spirit. Such a graduated Godhead is totally foreign to
the Bible. The Bible clearly and expressly declares that all members of
the Godhead are divine and are all equal.
Certainly there are different offices (for want of a better term) or positions
in the Godhead but none are superior or inferior to the other.
When the Lord Jesus declared, "I and my Father are one" He did not
add any exceptions or stipulations.
When the apostle, speaking of the Lord Jesus' relationship to the Father
declared that He was,
"the brightness
of his glory, and the express image of his person" he did not add any
exceptions or stipulations.
The apostle Peter had no such false concept of a graduated Godhead, for
when he asked the deceiver, Ananias, "why hath Satan filled thine heart
to lie to the Holy Ghost" he was referring to God the Spirit which
is evidenced by the very next verse of Scripture "thou hast not lied
unto men, but unto God."
The false concepts which the religious world hold of our Lord and Savior
are certainly far too many to mention in the short span of time which we
will be gathered together this morning.
Before moving on however I would like to briefly mention, what I believe
to be a false concept as to the appearance of the Lord, when He walked
upon this earth, which is put forth in the guise of piety and dedication
to our Lord.
It goes without saying that there are no photographs of our Lord. If there
had been a need for His people to have a likeness of His physical person
then there would have been one provided. Since there was none provided
we can be assured that we have no need of one.
However, religious, but unsaved mankind felt the need of an image so their
depraved hearts, with satan's help conjured up that image. Rest assured,
the visual images which they came up with are nothing like the verbal images
given to us in His inspired Word.
Most if not all of the artists renditions of what they conceive our Lord
to look like are without a doubt an abomination to our thrice Holy God.
I am offended by those 'pictures' which portray my Savior as an effeminate
and weak looking person. Beloved, my Savior was not a sissy nor was He
weak! He was a strong, powerful and courageous man.
When He drove out
the money exchangers from the temple we do not read of anyone standing
up to Him or attacking Him. When He publicly exposed the hypocrisy of the
Sadducees and Pharisees we do not read of anyone standing up to Him or
attacking Him.
It was the cowardly Jews who sent, under the cover of darkness, "a great
multitude with swords and staves" to apprehend Him. The leaders didn't
even have the courage to come themselves.
There was nothing weak or cowardly about our Lord and Savior.
One web site which I once visited, to confirm my theory that satan not
God is behind these pictures, boasted that they had over 500 images online.
I spent only a few minutes there because I am convinced that such images
are an abomination to our Holy God. I do not believe that God is at all
pleased with these images.
Any picture which we need of our Lord is given unto us in the pages of
His inspired Word. For a picture of His physical perfection take a verbal
look at the paschal lamb. The Jews preparing to flee Egypt were given strict
orders concerning that lamb. "Your lamb shall be without blemish."
(Exodus 12:5)
The slightest blemish would make the lamb unacceptable. Beloved, I believe
that our Lord is the most physically perfect person who ever lived upon
this earth. I believe that He, although subject to fatigue, hunger and
thirst was not subject to ANY physical deformities or infirmities. His
vision was perfect. His hearing was perfect. His teeth were perfect. His
speech was perfect. Every cell of His body was absolutely and totally perfect!
Being so perfect in body and mind, if had He so desired, He would have
been the best athlete or scholar that this world has ever known.
The Lord Jesus was in the prime of His life when He voluntarily laid down
His life for His people. If the Lord Jesus had not voluntarily laid down
His life He would have still been living in that same robust, perfectly
healthy body which He had some two thousand years ago.
We get old, we get sick and we die because of sin. "For the wages of
sin is death;" (Romans 6:23)
Now while we are aware
that it is spiritual death referred to in the primary sense in the above
Scripture we also acknowledge that because of sin physical death also reigns
over us all. We all die daily. Why is it that those who claim to have achieved
sinlessness in the flesh still get old, still get sick and still die?
The Lord Jesus Christ had no sin of His own. He had done no sin. Though
He was "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet" He was without
any sin.
(John 8:46)
"Which of you convinceth me of sin?"
Which
of you, our Lord asks, can point to any sin in my life? None could point
to any sin in Him because there was no sin in His life. He was perfect
in body, soul and spirit therefore sickness and death had no claim on Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ was perfect in mind. In all things which we deem
to compose the mind our Lord was perfect. Jesus Christ was perfect in emotions,
perfect in intellect, perfect in reasoning and discernment.
Solomon, during his lifetime, was esteemed the wisest man living.
(1 Kings
10:24) "And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom,
which God had put in his heart."
The
wisdom of Solomon was smaller than a droplet of water as compared to the
largest ocean when compared to the wisdom of our Sovereign Lord and Savior.
(Matthew
12:42) "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with
this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater
than Solomon is here."
The
apostle John says that the world could not contain the books which would
be necessary to list all of the things which Jesus did. Nor could the world
contain all the books which would be necessary to list all of the things
which Jesus knows.
We have briefly noted the physical and mental perfection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. For a few moments let is ponder upon another perfection which so
fully equipped Him to satisfy God the Father's just demand for exact adherence
to His holy and just law.
That perfection is the perfection of His spirit and soul. As the paschal
lamb was to be without blemish in body so our Lord was without blemish
in soul and spirit. Born of a virgin by the immaculate conception of the
Holy Spirit He had no sin nature in Him! He took upon Himself the human
nature of His people, whom He would redeem, that is their flesh and bone
nature, but He did not take upon Himself their sinful and depraved nature.
Having a human nature He could be tempted but having a perfect soul and
spirit He did not sin.
(Hebrews
4:15) "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin."
Our
Lord and Savior had such a perfect, holy and righteous soul and spirit
that He never succumbed to those many temptations and or ever committed
the first sin! The Lord Jesus Christ is impeccable and therefore
it was impossible for Him to sin.
Only a perfect soul could satisfy the demands of an offended and holy God.
The Lord Jesus Christ had that perfect soul and He alone could completely
satisfy the demands of a thrice holy God.
(Isaiah
53:11) "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall
bear their iniquities."
The
Father saw the travail of His Son's righteous soul as he stood in the room
and stead of His condemned people and was satisfied that His holy justice
had been met and that the price for the release of each one of His elect
had been paid in full.
As a result of our Lord's suffering, all those for whom He suffered the
Father's wrath are as acceptable in His sight as if they had never sinned!
(2 Corinthians
5:21) "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
III.) How would God's saints reply to that question, "What think ye
of Christ?"
Those who have been enabled by the blessed Holy Spirit to acknowledge their
sin and their condemned position before God and who have been caused to
look to Jesus Christ as their only means of acceptance in God's eternal
presence should think long and often on the person and work of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Bible contains many beautiful expressions which bring great joy to
the saint when they think on them as pictures of the person and work of
the Son of God who is God the Son.
We would like to list but five of those verbal pictures of the person and
work of Christ.
He is our Advocate
(1 John
2:1) "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous:"
He
is the Almighty
(Revelation
1:8) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
He
is God's Anointed
(Psalms
2:2) "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,"
He
is the Author and Finisher of Our Faith
(Hebrews
12:2) "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
He
is the Everlasting Father
(Isaiah
9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Beloved,
there are many more beautiful and comforting names which the Holy Spirit
used to refer to the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ procured eternal salvation for all of those whom
the Father had chosen unto salvation and given Him to redeem in the eternal
covenant of redemption. He did not make it possible that they could obtain
eternal life, He obtained eternal life for them!
It is such a sad thing when those who are indeed the very objects of the
Father's eternal love and electing grace and who are the recipients of
Christ's eternal salvation not only deny those blessed truths but vehemently
oppose them.
Could it be that the years of viewing pictures of a feeble looking person
has contributed to the false idea that Christ is unable to accomplish His
will unless the creature will allow and assist Him in doing so?
We should be greatly humbled when we are caused to think on those great
mercies which God has so freely and undeservedly bestowed upon us.
We rejoice that we have been given a glimpse of the majesty and power of
the Son of God, who is God the Son.
Unlike the Christ that many of His own people think of, a Christ who they
believe is attempting (although sometimes unsuccessfully in their reasoning)
to get His creatures to do His will, the Christ of the Bible, the Christ
which we think of, is in absolute and total control of everything in His
created universe. He is working all things after the counsel of His own
will. What He has eternally purposed He will in the fullness of His time
do.
We have looked briefly this morning at how three groups of people may answer
the question,
"What think ye
of Christ?".
We have attempted to show that only by the Spirit's enablement can we think
properly of Christ, the Christ of the Bible.
In closing let us ask ourselves one final question. We have looked at the
question,
"What think ye
of Christ?".
Now let us look ever so briefly at the question, "What does Christ think
of thee?"
There are three way in which we would like you to consider how Christ thinks
of His creatures. Please note that I said His creatures and not His people.
All of His people are His creatures but not all of His creatures are His
people.
1.) To all those who never took time to think on the Lord Jesus, to all
those who permitted or encouraged their depraved hearts and minds to form
their concept of Jesus Christ instead of seeking the inspired Word of God
as the foundation of their concept, the Lord Jesus Christ has declared
what He thinks of them and what His pronouncement of their eternal destiny
will be.
(Matthew
7:23) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity."
All
those who loved a lie and defiantly declared they would not "have this
man reign over us", all those who thought only on the carnal "pleasures
of sin for a season," taking no thought for their eternal destiny will
be forever banished from the acceptable presence of the sinless Lamb of
God. "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:".
2.) There are many servants of the Lord Jesus who have not wisely
used those things which He made them stewards of. The cares of this world
have choked them and they were unfruitful. They trusted in the Lord for
salvation yet refused to submit themselves unto the authority of His word
and of His church. All of the Lord's servants will stand before the Bema
or judgment seat of Christ and be judged according to the faithfulness
of their service.
(2 Corinthians
5:10) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that
he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
It
is at this Bema seat that rewards will be dispensed or lost. Some who did
not labor according to the rules will have their works burned up.
(1 Corinthians
3:14-15) "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. {15} If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
We
are admonished by God's Word to be diligent so that we will receive the
fullest measure of reward which the Lord has made available for us.
(2 John
1:8) "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we
have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."
When
God's saints are slothful and disobedient to His Word they are guilty of
grieving the Godhead.
(Ephesians
4:30) "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption."
The
Greek word here translated grieve is lupeo, (loo-peh'-o;) and it means:
to distress; to be sad: cause grief, grieve, be in heaviness, (be) sorrow
(-ful), be (make) sorry.
The Lord Jesus was saddened when looking upon Jerusalem and thinking of
the blessing which it COULD have had if it had been obedient to God's Word.
It is with utmost reverence and respect I say that I feel our Lord is saddened
by the slothfulness and disobedience of many of His precious, blood bought
servants.
3.) And finally, what does the Lord think about the good and faithful servant
who is doing their Lord's will, who is looking for, even longing for their
Lord's return? What does the Lord think about that servant who asks from
a loving heart, "Lord, what will thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6)
Those faithful servants will one day be invited into the joys of the Lord
and will receive rewards for those things which He had enabled and led
them to do.
(Matthew
25:21) "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
It
is my heart's desire that all of us may have the Lord Jesus Christ in our
thoughts continually and that those thoughts will be based only upon His
inspired Word. And that when we think of Christ we will think of the Christ
of the Bible and not the Christ of depraved man's imagination.
I desire to hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: ...
enter
thou into the joy of thy lord."
And I also desire that each of you may also hear those words of eternal
assurance and joy.
(02-27-2000)
Return To Brother Reynolds' Page
Return To Baptist Authors
Return To PBC Home