Well, good morning, everyone. If you would open your Bibles with me to Mark chapter 14, it's where our lesson will be from this morning. Before we begin, let's bow together and seek our Lord's blessing.

Our Father, we reverently, carefully, and thankfully bow in your presence this morning. Father, how thankful we are that you've told us in your word that we can come confidently before your throne of grace, coming in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And father, how we thank you for him, how we thank you for his perfect obedience, which is our only righteousness. How we thank you for his precious blood, which is our only plea of the forgiveness of our sin. And Father, we beg that you would see us only in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And that this morning, as we met together to worship, Father, we beg of you that you would bless us for Christ's sake. That you would cause the glory of Christ our Savior to shine forth through the preaching of your word this morning. Let us see your glory. And Father, let your people have our hearts thrilled at one more time hearing of Christ and him crucified and what he has fully accomplished for his sinful, wretched people.

Father, we thank you. How we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. How we thank you for giving it to us here all these many years, and Father, we pray you continue to bless it. Cause your word to go forth from this place to feed and comfort and edify your people, to call your people to Christ our Savior. And give us, Father, the grace and the wisdom to carefully protect the unity that we have here, that we might continue to be able to meet together with one heart, with one accord, with one desire, to worship you.

Father, how we thank you for the many blessings of this life on top of every spiritual blessing that you have for a sinner, that you've given to us in your son. You blessed us materially. Father, we thank you for our homes and our families and our jobs and the blessings of this life, the food that we eat, the clothes that we wear, the air that we breathe, It all comes as a free gift of your grace and father, we're thankful and we beg your forgiveness for ever being ungrateful and ever murmuring and doubting and complaining after all your blessing to us.

And father, we pray a blessing for your people that you've brought into the time of trouble and trial. There are many here and in other places. Father, we pray you'd give them a fulfillment of your promise that your grace is sufficient, that you're Presence would be with them to comfort their hearts until you're pleased to deliver and lead them out.

Now again, Father, bless us as we look into your word this morning. Show us one more time our Lord Jesus Christ. It's in his blessed name that we pray and give thanks. Amen.

I titled the lesson this morning, What Do You Think? What Do You Think? We begin in verse 53. And they led Jesus away to the high priest. And with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even unto the palace of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warned himself at the fire.

Now, I'm going to leave that alone for now. Lord willing, we'll come back to this with Peter sitting there next week. But let's read on here in verse 55. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witnesses against Jesus to put him to death and found none. For many bear false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain and bear false witness against him, saying, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands. And within three days, I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together.

And the chief priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus saying, answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace and answered nothing. And again, the high priest asked him and said unto him, art thou the Christ, the son of the blessed? And Jesus said, I am. And you shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven

And then the high priest rent his clothes and saith, what need we any further witnesses? You've heard the blasphemy. What think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to buffet him and to say unto him, prophesy. And the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

Now the question I want to focus on is the question that the high Priest asked here in verse 64, what think ye? What do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ? Most important question any of us can be asked. And our answer to that question reveals the state of our heart before God. So it's a very important question. And I'm gonna look at four or five things here that's, I'm gonna confine ourselves to the things about our Savior that are in our text, but first I want us to consider this. What do you think of the claim that the Lord Jesus Christ is God? In verse 61, he held his peace and answered nothing, and again the high priest asked him and said unto him, art thou the Christ, the son of the blessed? And he said, I am, I am. Now the Lord could have answered that question in such a way that it didn't get him in trouble, that they would not accuse him of blasphemy. He could have said, well, you said right. Or he could have said, well, that's who the scriptures say that I am, or that's who my disciples say that I am. But instead, he answered so directly that they were faced with this reality of who he is. He is God. He said, I am. And they knew exactly what he was saying. I am that I am. I am God that spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. I am. He's God.

Now you gotta consider this. This is a man in the flesh saying, I am. I'm God. I have the sovereignty of God. I have the eternality of God. Before Abraham was, I am, he said. He's got the eternality of God. He's got the power of God, he's got the holiness of God. He's equal with God in every way because he is God. Look at a couple of scriptures, John chapter eight. He is God. John eight verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? And Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. And they understood exactly what he was saying. That's why they took up stones to stone him, because they knew he was saying, I am God.

Look over a page or two at John chapter 10. Verse 30, he said, I and my Father are one. Now there's no mistaking what our Lord is saying there. He is God. He's God in the flesh. And man's problem today still stems from the very same error that the scribes and the Pharisees and the Jews made in that day, not believing that Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, is God. Man in the flesh doesn't want to believe that because if Jesus of Nazareth is God, we all know what that means. If he's God, we're in his hands to do with as he pleases. And whatever he does is right. Nobody could ever question it. He's not in our hands to decide if we're going to accept him or reject him. If he's God, we're in his hands and he'll do with us as he pleases. And the flesh hates that. If he's God, he cannot fail to save the people that he came to save. And we know that hell is full of people right now, so that means he came to save some and pass others by. But everybody he came to save, he saved. And it's his right as God to save whom he will and pass by whom he will, because he's God. And if he's God, you and I better quit working trying to please him and start begging him for mercy, if he's God.

Now, what do you think of that? What do you think of this fact that Jesus Christ is God? Well, I can tell you how I feel about that. I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled because I need God's grace. He's revealed enough to me about myself to know that I am so sinful. The only way I can be saved is by the power of God, by the grace of God, by the love of God, by the redemption of God that's in Christ Jesus. I know the flesh says that's not fair. I understand that. That's what the flesh will say if God leaves us alone. But as for me, I'm going to beg him for mercy. And it thrills me to beg for mercy from the one. Mercy is his to give, and I'm going to beg him for mercy. and it thrills my soul to know if he's pleased to give me mercy, I cannot be lost. Because if he's God, he can't fail to save the people that he came to save.

Second, let's consider this. What do you think of Christ, the sinner substitute?

In verse 55, the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death and they found none. For many bear false witness against him, but their witness agree not together. And there arose certain and bear false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I'll destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I'll build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree.

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? but he held his peace and answered nothing. The Lord did not answer. All these false witnesses, all these charges against him, he didn't answer. Now he answered when the high priest asked him who he is. He told the truth there, I am. But when he was faced with all these false accusations, and everybody there knew. Our Lord knew it, the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the leaders, They all knew this was false witness. That's who they were seeking to put our Lord to death.

I don't know about you, but if somebody lies on me, I'm going to defend myself so vigorously. I mean, I'm going to wear them out. I mean, I'll wear them out. Just defended myself against a false accusation. Why did our Lord hold his peace? All these false accusations didn't answer my word. It's because he'd already been made guilty of the sin of his people.

Our Lord never committed any of these sins and any of these things that the people were accusing him of, but I have, and you have, and our substitute had already been made sin for God's elect. He was already bearing the sin of his people, and soon he's gonna bear the punishment for it.

Now, our Lord never one time sinned. Perfect righteousness, perfect obedience. And even men helped prove that. They had to find false witnesses that would accuse him. But even their witness was, you know, revealed to be false witness because nobody agreed. Nobody could tell the same story. This is the perfect, sinless Savior. And how I love to see that. Because that's my only righteousness. His obedience is my only obedience. His obedience is the only way I can ever be made righteous, and the only way my sin can be taken away from me is if he took it and bore it for me, because he's the only one strong enough to bear it.

Christ is the sinner's substitute. Not only did he bear the punishment that we deserve, but first he took our sin. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree and put it away by the sacrifice of himself. He had to be made sin for his people. He had to be made guilty of the sin of his people before the father could ever slaughter him in justice. And here he's standing as the sinner substitute.

Now, what do you think? What do you think of Christ, the sinner substitute, the sin bearing substitute? I've heard people say, oh, I can't say that. No, no, no, I can't say that Christ was made sin. I love him too much to say that he was made sin. You love him too much to say what the scriptures say? Huh? Really? And to say Christ was not made sin. There's many problems with that, but I'll point out two of them. One is this. To say that Christ was not made sin, you're taking away the greatest glory of our substitute. that in mercy he took the sin of his people and bore it himself and put it away by the sacrifice of himself. You're taking away his redemptive glory. And second, to say that Christ was not made sin, that he did not take the sin of his people away from them and make it his, you're destroying my only hope. The only hope that I have that my sin is gone is Christ took it away. He took it away from me and he put it away under his precious blood.

Now, what do you say about Christ, the sin-bearing substitute? Well, I can tell you, as for me, I'm ashamed. of what the Savior had to suffer for me. I mean, it's shameful. What he had to suffer shows so much of the shame of my sin, but at the same time, this thrills my heart. If Christ the Savior took my sin away from me and took it to Calvary's tree, my sin is gone. And the just God will never condemn me because there's no sin left he can charge me with. I'm thrilled to hear about Christ the sin-bearing substitute.

Then third, I want us to consider this. What do you think of Christ, the judge of all the earth? In verse 62, Jesus said, I am. And ye shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Now, again, these men knew exactly what our Lord was saying, that he's coming, one day he's coming back as the judge of all the earth. This is the one, this one that they're putting on trial is the judge with whom we have to do. We have to do, we have to be judged by him because he will judge the whole world in righteousness. He will judge righteous judgment. Those that he declares to be innocent are truly innocent because he made them innocent. And he's going to take them to glory, take them to be with him forever. And those that he condemns are going to be condemned because they're guilty of sin. And he'll give them exactly what they deserve.

Look at John chapter five. John five verse 21. For as the father raises up the dead and quickeneth him, even so the son quickeneth whom he will. For the father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son, that all men should honor the son, even as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son honoreth not the father that is sinning.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the man Jesus of Nazareth, Mary's firstborn son, born of a virgin, this man is gonna be the judge of all the earth. And not only is he going to be the judge that pronounces the sentence, guilty or innocent, righteous or unrighteous, he's the standard by which we will be judged. If we want to say, I can bring my righteousness before God, I think I've been good enough that God will accept me. Well, the standard of righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And if my righteousness is not equal to his perfect righteousness, I'll be condemned. He is the judge of all the earth.

Now, what do you think? What do you think of Christ the judge? What do you think of Christ being the standard by which he will judge us all? Does it make you scared? Does it make you scared to think about facing God in judgment? Does that scare you to death? Does it make you mad? Does it make you mad to think, why can't God accept the best that I can do? Why do I have to be perfect, as perfect as his son? Does that make you mad? Does that make you want to rebel against him? Does it make you just want to do what these men did to spit in his face?

Or does it make you happy? I tell you, by God's grace, this makes me happy, happy.

If my judge, the one who will judge me, is the same one who put my sin away, then nobody knows better than the judge that I'm righteous. because he's the one that made me righteous. If my judge is the same one that gave me faith to trust him, then nobody knows better than him that I've been made righteous through faith, not by my words. If my judge is the one that gave me life, that he knows I've already passed from death unto life because he is my life, because he gave me life. Nobody knows better than the judge. And he will never find me not guilty. He has to find me not guilty. He'll never find me guilty because he's the one that made me righteous.

It thrills me to know that my savior is the same one who's gonna pronounce judgment on me. because nobody knows better than him, through all of his suffering, through all of his humiliation, through all of his pain, through his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and his ascension back on high, that he made me righteous. And I have no fear of judgment whatsoever. I mean, zero. I really, I have zero fear of standing before God in judgment, as long as Christ is my judge. as long as Christ is my advocate. My advocate and my judge are the same person. They're gonna come to the same conclusion. I'm righteous in Christ. That thrills my soul.

Then fourth, this is a good question, I think. What do you think about Christ sitting? In verse 62, you see, he said, you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power. Now, what do you think of Christ sitting? You know, one thing that the priest of old, the priest from Aaron's priesthood, one thing they never did in the tabernacle that we've been studying on Wednesday nights, we've looked at all the pieces of the tabernacle, and you might notice we never looked at the chair. because the high priest's work was never done. He could never sit down because the work was never done. But Christ, our great high priest, is sitting. He's sitting on the right hand of power. When he ascended back on high, the Father said, you sit. Sit here on my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.

You know why Christ is sitting? Because the work of redemption is finished. That's his cry from the cross that echoes down through the ages. It is finished. It's finished. He's sitting because the work is done. The salvation of his people is complete. And if Christ is not sitting, then I'd better get to work. If Christ is not sitting, my redemption is not finished and I'd better get to work to try to finish it. But if Christ is sitting, I can rest in Him. If Christ is sitting, actually scripture says I'm already seated in heavenly places in Him. I'm sitting too. I'm resting too. Because the work of redemption is finished.

Now what do you think about that? What do you think about the work of redemption being finished? And what we're called on to do in scripture is to rest in Christ. Not to work, but to rest. Strive to enter into that rest. Strive to quit working to earn your righteousness and earn your salvation and rest in Christ. Is your reaction, well, that can't be true. I mean, that can't be true. I've got to at least do something to make myself savable. I mean, if God saves me by his grace, I've got to at least do something to keep it. You know, I've got to live a good Christian life and I've got If I don't bear such good witness by my moral and sinless life, well then, you know, God's gonna cast me off? Or do you think, thank God. Thank God the Savior is finished and I can rest in Christ. And I'm free to serve him out of love, not out of fear. Not because I have to, but out of love. That thrills my soul, to believe on Christ and just rest in Him. And to not believe that is to spit into the face of God just the same as these men did 2,000 years ago.

Verse 65, and some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to buffet Him. And while He's blindfolded, say, prophesy. Prophet, tell us who hit you. And the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Brother Henry used to talk about preaching for a decision. I want to preach in such a way that I set forth Christ. And we're forced to, in our minds, in our hearts, say, I believe Him or I don't believe Him. One or the other. It's no small thing to not believe the gospel of Christ. I mean, just because we hear the gospel and we don't believe it and, you know, God doesn't strike us down right at this, you know, very moment. We think, well, it's no big deal. I mean, I'll keep hearing it and hearing it and hearing it, you know, and to not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, after we hear his gospel preached, after we hear who he is, the same way he told these men who he is. It's to spit in his face. to spit in his face. It's serious business, isn't it?

Well, then the last thing is this. What do you think of Christ coming again? He says in verse 62, I am, and you shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back. This world's not gonna continue like it always has. He's coming back, and when he comes, he's gonna separate the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. He's gonna condemn the wicked, and he's gonna take those that he's made righteous to be with him forever, and he's gonna burn this world up. He's gonna burn it to ash, and he's gonna create new heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness, and no sin will ever come into it again.

and His people will worship Christ forever, face to face. That's what's gonna happen when He comes again. We're gonna see Him as He is, see Him in His glory, and be gathered up in His arms and taken to be around His throne for eternity. That's what's gonna happen when Christ returns. And those that don't believe Him will be sent to hell for eternity, never to touch never to harm, never to bother God's people ever again. That's what's going to happen. Now what do you say to that?

My daughters have told me that I am not allowed to say I want to die, that I want the Lord to take me right now. They told me I'm not allowed to say that because that makes them feel bad like I don't want to be with them and One day they'll understand. But I can say this, even so come Lord Jesus. Oh, I wish the Lord would come right now, right now. It makes my body tingle to think of the soul thrilling rapture to see the Lord Jesus Christ as he is. And I have no idea what I'm talking about, how glorious that will be. But I can't wait, because when we see him as he is, we're gonna be like him. To not have to live in a body like Adam's anymore, and to be made just like Christ. I can't wait, can you? Come, Lord Jesus!

To be done. with a body of sin, to be done with a nature of sin, to be done with faith, to be done with seeing through a glass darkly and to see the Savior face to face and to worship Him perfectly. I'll tell you, there have been times that I feel like I have truly worshipped. For just a few minutes, I feel like I've truly worshipped My mind has not wandered and weird thoughts haven't creeped in and, Chris, hadn't been many. Usually I find my mind wandering, me thinking about myself, hearing the gospel and being full of doubts and fears and self-entering into it, even though I worship. I mean, I'm worshiping. By God's grace, I believe Christ. I believe Him. I trust Him. I rest in Him. Hearing of Him and His gospel is more precious to me today than it has ever been. Yet my mind still wanders and it's so frustrating.

You think of being done with a wandering mind and thinking about yourself and all you can think about is shouting the praises of our Savior and doing it perfectly. Not making a show for somebody else, but worshiping him perfectly. The only thing I can think of to say to that is, Lord, do what you promised. I've told you so many times, I think the best way for us to pray is to pray and ask for things that God has in his word already promised. And several times in scripture, he said, behold, I come quickly. My prayer is, Lord, come quickly. What a blessed day that will be for those that believe Christ. And I pray that between now and then, he'll give us that faith to trust Christ. And if he does, that'll be the best day we've ever experienced, won't it? All right, Lord bless you.