In Matthew 7, verse 28, the sermon of the Lord began
back in chapter 5 and it ended in the verses just before this
one. We read here in verse 28, it came to pass, when Jesus had
ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine. And here's why. For He taught
them as having authority and not as scribes. Now, hold your
place there a minute. Look over to Mark with me. In the Sermon on the Mount, the
Lord teaches us to be yes and no people. To be yes and no brethren, not
maybe. Don't add a bunch of flowery things and add a bunch of promises
and extra things. That's of evil. That's that excessive
superfluity of naughtiness. Just let it be yes or no. According to His Word, our Word,
So, yay and amen in Christ. Now, the Scripture says here,
he taught not as the scribes taught. And in Mark 11, we get
an idea of what our Lord meant by saying, be yes and no, people. And we get an understanding of
how the scribes taught, what their motive was, what their
reasoning was within them as they prepared to speak to the
people. There it is. Mark 11, verse 27. And they come again to Jerusalem,
and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the
chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and say unto
him, By what authority doest thou these things, and who gave
thee this authority to do these things? And Jesus answered and
said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer
me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
He says, the baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? Answer me. There's only one answer. But here we get an insight into
how the scribes talked. This is their motive. This is
how they talked. This is how they thought. They reasoned with
themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say,
why then did you not believe him? We've got to say something
that's going to get us by with God. But if we shall say of men,
they feared the people, for all counted John, that he was a prophet
indeed. Oh, but we've got to please the
people. Now that's how the scribes talked. That's exactly how, and
that's how they teach today. And they answered and said unto
Jesus, this was their wisdom. We can't tell. And they couldn't tell. Not only
would they not tell, they didn't have the ability to tell. Not
in honesty and truth from the heart. And Jesus answered, saying
to them, neither do I tell you by what authority I do these
things. That's how they taught. Now, here's my first point. Christ Jesus is the authority. That's why his doctrine was astonishing
to them and why he taught the way he taught is because he is
the authority. God is power and God is wisdom. The triune God of glory is power
and He is wisdom. And the power and the wisdom
of God is revealed in the hearts of His people through the Gospel. And who is it that's revealed
through the Gospel? Christ, the power of God, and
the wisdom of God. By whom? Of God. Of God. Now Christ Jesus is not
only the object of the Word of God, He is the essential Word, which was from the beginning,
who is God, and was manifest in the flesh full of grace and
truth. You're getting the picture of this authority he had. In
the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ Jesus, God the Father
manifests in his Son his own righteousness and his own faithfulness
to each of those he chose to save. In the Law and the Prophets,
the Holy Spirit declared what God the Father promised. God the Father promised it, the
Holy Spirit moved holy men of old as he would to write those
things, and in the word that was written, it was all written
to glorify Christ Jesus, the Son of God. Paul said, that's
the gospel, Romans 1-2, which he had promised afore by his
prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his Son, Christ our
Lord. Christ Jesus fulfilled in righteousness
every word promised. When we get to glory, we're going
to be eternally learning how indeed He truly is the fullness
of this word. The fullness of it. Christ Jesus
honored and He magnified every command of God. Christ Jesus
satisfied justice for those chosen and given to Him of the Father,
and He did so declaring God just and the justifier, as He did. This is the power and wisdom
of God that is manifest in Christ. Those who are justified became
justified, perfected forever, made completely accepted of God
by the righteousness and faithfulness of God the Father, through the
righteousness and faithfulness of His Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord, and it's revealed through the righteousness and faithfulness
of the Holy Spirit of God. Paul said the gospel of Christ
is the power of God and the salvation of everyone that believes because
through the truth of Christ, the righteousness of God is revealed
from God who is faithful to those in whom He has given faith, from
faith to faith. For it's written, the just shall
live by faith. Look at Romans chapter 5 with me just a moment.
Romans chapter 5. This is wisdom and power of God
in Christ. By His faithfulness, He justified
His people. He made peace for us with God.
And by His faithfulness, He gives faith to each one so that by
Christ, we can enter into this grace, this fully accomplished
salvation and stand in it. That's what Romans 5.1 says.
Look. Therefore being justified by faith, His faith. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. You ain't even in the equation
on that verse. Now here you come in. By whom
also, by Christ also, we have access by faith that He gave
to you into this grace of free, complete redemption, free, complete
justification, free, complete sanctification, free, complete
acceptance with God, And we stand there and rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God. Now that is power and wisdom,
brethren. And as mediator, the authority,
the right, the privilege, the excellency of the power of God
has been given to Christ Jesus without diminishing the excellency
and power of the triune God one iota. Because they're one in
all things. But this power, this authority,
this right has been given to Christ Jesus over all flesh so
that nothing hinders Him from giving eternal life to as many
as the Father gave Him. And that is God glorifying Himself
in His Son. That's what Christ prayed for.
Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son
may glorify Thee. How is that going to take place?
That He may give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
Him, because He's been given the power. He hath put all things
under His feet. He's gave Him to be the head
unto all and to the church, which is His body, the fullness of
Him that's doing the filling in all. Now the Lord Jesus Christ
stood before them that day as bone of their bone and flesh
of their flesh declaring that he is the power and the right
and the dominion over all. The fulfillment of every word
he spoke is him. The fulfillment of everything
He had to say. And He said, I am the fulfillment
of it. He said, you have got to have
a righteousness that exceeds those men that you highly esteem
in religion. And I'm that righteousness. That's
exactly what He was declaring to them. Now brethren, nothing
will interfere with Him bringing His redeemed to glory with Him. Aren't you thankful? Aren't you
thankful? Now when he speaks with authority
like this into the heart of those that have been given to him,
they're astonished at his doctrine and rejoice in his doctrine because
he's exercised his power and dominion in their hearts and
they rejoice. But for some, many who were astonished
at him were offended at him. This is the second thing I want
you to see. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 13, verse 54. His authority offended the people
of his own country. Matthew 13, 54. When he was come into his own
country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they
were astonished. and said, Whence hath this man
this wisdom and these mighty works? Do you see that? They
heard he had the wisdom and they saw mighty works performed by
him. They were astonished. And this is what they said. Where
did he get this? Is not this the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother called Mary and his brethren James and Joseph
and Simon and Judas and his sisters? Are they not all with us? Whence
then has this man all these things? And they were offended in him. Why were they offended? What
made them offended in him? They were accustomed to teachers
who had received their authority from the religious leaders who
were most esteemed among men, somebody to be proud of. And
Jesus hadn't been taught in the schools of the scribes and the
Pharisees. And without some kind of religious
credential, some kind of credibility from the religious men who they
esteemed, they regarded the master the same way they regarded his
family as ignorant and base. They regarded his brethren just
like they regarded him. Joseph was a carpenter and Mary
had no title. She had no civil respect among
the people. They were poor and despised people.
These brethren here, his half-brothers and his cousins, according to
the flesh, and they were nobodies as well. His brethren didn't
have any authority from the scribes. Christ could have received nothing
from them. And so rather than believe the Master to be the
Christ, the authority from God, they were offended at Him. Now you be sure you get this.
They were offended at Christ because He had no form, no comeliness,
no form of the religion that they esteemed as comely to them. that when they should see Him
with the natural eye, they should desire Him. Now, even in the
Master Himself, it pleased God to use none of the forms and
outward attractions that men esteem by which He would cause
men to believe on Him. It's for the same reason that
it pleased God not to call many wise or noble. What we saw this
morning, the Lord has purposed it to stain the pride of all
men. He's chosen the base things, the foolish things, the things
that are nothing to this world and to natural minds so that
no flesh will glory in His presence. The things that have been done
throughout the ages using the saints have been done in such
a way that there is absolutely no flesh that could look back
and say, boy, man has really triumphed. We've really done
something. It's all been of God. And when he exalted somebody
like King David to the throne and gave him riches and honor,
took him from the sheepfold out tending sheep, the ugliest, weakest,
worthless one of them all, Samuel said, you got anybody else, Jesse?
He said, man, I thought it was going to come to this. Yeah,
I got another one, but he's out there. We keep him out there
in the field tending sheep. We don't even let him come around. You
sure you don't want one of these fine strapping boys right here? Nope. And then after God chose him,
God, He is one that God exalted and gave all these things, all
this honor and glory. And He did it to glorify His
Son. But to make sure you understand, He did it to glorify His Son.
He took His hand off of David so we could see what David is
from time to time. And that this thing wasn't of
David, it was of God. That no flesh or glory in His
presence. Notice these brethren which the Holy Spirit records
here. Now those that were offended at Christ, they used these brethren
to justify their rejection of Christ. I've heard that a lot
in my day. A lot in my day. That bunch you
come from, they don't know anything. A lot. Now look, but these men
were taught of Christ and used of God. James was an apostle
who wrote the epistle of James. Joseph Bar Sabbath, he was that
faithful man who was in the upper room on the day of Pentecost
with them. Judas is called Labaius Thaddeus. He's an apostle who's
the writer of the epistle of Jude, also named Jude. Historians
say Simon the son of Cleopas succeeded James as a teacher
in Jerusalem. The Lord used every one of these
men mightily that they esteemed as nothing. Now that ought to teach us something.
Oughtn't it? Oughtn't that teach us something
about what we ought to be looking at? listening to, how we ought to
be discerning things. Do you realize how important
the Word is? Everything was created by it.
Everything's held in existence by it. The Word was made flesh. It pleased God by the preaching
of the Word. Why? That you don't have any
other way of discerning spiritual matters but by His Word. And
that only when he gives you spiritual discernment. Now that stains
and offends the very dignity of man. A bloody Jesus on a nasty,
cursed cross, worshiped by worthless, sorry fishermen. If you ever
been around a river very long or by a sea very long, you know
fishermen just think, sailors just think they're cream of the
crop. And that's who he chose. That's
who He chose. And when He chose one in religion
that was high and mighty and esteemed of the people, He made
him to look at all of that and say, I've been trying to come
to God and present dung to Him in all this. He brought Him down. Now, our Lord spoke with plainness
of speech to these folks. They heard Him. They heard Him
speak. They said, He's got wisdom. He's got wisdom. They heard him
speak plainly. But brethren, plainness of speech,
it's not pronunciation. It's not articulation. It's not
elocution of words. Look at 1 Corinthians 1.30 with
me. Plainness of speech is boldness
God gives to speak the truth. That's why they were astonished
at his doctrine. His doctrine was, yea and amen. It wasn't maybe. He didn't preach
so that he could sort of soothe God and not offend the people.
I heard somebody say, give an illustration that said that their
pastor said, I love my preacher so much, he don't offend anybody. Worthless, absolutely worthless. You can't preach this gospel
without offending everybody. No way. But here's what plainness
of speech is. It's preaching Christ. It's preaching
yes or no. That's what it is. It's saying, yes, this is truth.
No, that is not truth. And this power comes one way. It's blessed one way. Here's
what plainness of speech is. 1 Corinthians 1.30. It's declaring
God chooses whom He will. Now this comes right after God
says no flesh is going to glory in His presence. It says this
is why He chose the foolish things He chose. Right here. It's telling
folks God chooses whom He will. You don't choose. I don't choose.
It's not of our mother and father who did something for us in a
baptismal pool when we were eight days old trying to imitate circumcision. That's not it. It wasn't done
by birthright because we thought we had a leg up because mom and
daddy believed. Christ Jesus' own brethren after
the flesh didn't believe. And it's not by the will of man,
by anything we do, before or after conversion. Of God are
ye in Christ Jesus. You at least understand me with
this ear, don't you? Of God are ye in Christ Jesus,
plain. Plainness of speech is declaring
that the Spirit of God alone is able to bring a sinner to
believe on Christ, and He does it always when He exercises His
power. Verse 30, Who of God is made
unto us? Plain. Plain. And it's setting
forth clearly that Christ is the fullness of all that God
requires to receive His children unto Himself. Here's what you're
going to have to have before God. Perfect wisdom, perfect
righteousness, perfect sanctification, and full redemption. And in Him
dwells all fullness. Now that's plain. And even the
master himself, we see this. It pleased God to say by the
foolishness of preaching. and no other attraction whatsoever,
that men's faith might stand in the excellency of the power,
in the authority, in God and not in men. And the excellency
of the power of God is Christ the power and wisdom of God. And you'll know that when God
calls you. in no uncertain terms, and everything else will suddenly
become filthy and vile. Everything. And He did it for
this reason, 1 Corinthians 1.31, that according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. There's no maybe
in that equation. There's no yet, there's no, well
now, let's sue God, but let's don't offend men. None of that
of the scribe. This is how Christ taught. And
this is how those in whom He dwells teach. Brethren, it's
not merely doctrine that offends. Do you know that? Christ who is the power, Christ
who is the wisdom, Christ who is the righteousness, Christ
who is the holiness, Christ who is the Redeemer, Christ who has
authority to give life to those God's given Him, there's the
offense. There's the offense. Religious
leaders were astonished and offended at him. Turn with me to Matthew
22. The Pharisees and the Herodians
and the Sadducees came to him in one day. When you hear these
people mentioned, do you think in your mind that because they
didn't fly under the banner of Christianity that men who do
are different from these men? Do you think that? If you do,
it's false. If you do, you're wrong. These
men claim to believe Jehovah God, the Lord God. That's what they claim to believe,
just like men in our day claim to believe Christ. Same way. Don't ever think of these men
in these various denominations or sects, if you will, as if
because they weren't flying under the banner of Christianity, they
didn't believe Him. Or that they were any different
from men who do today who are in error. Judaizers came to Galatia
and they said, Oh yes, salvation is by Christ. Salvation is by
grace. Salvation is by faith alone. But there's something
you've got to do. There's something yet for you
to do. But look at this, Matthew 22,
18. And I'm not going to read this
whole passage, but I'm just going to point out something to you.
They all came asking him questions, foolish questions. They were
smoke screens to try to defend themselves and defend their charade
of religion, as all the questions were about. It says they were
trying to entangle him in his talk. But here's what I want
you to hear. Listen to how Jesus spoke to
these folks. In verse 18, Jesus perceived
their wickedness and he said, Why tempt ye me hypocrites. Look down at verse 29. Jesus answered and said unto
them, You do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power
of God. Look down at verse 33. And when
the multitude heard, they were astonished at his teaching. You
can see why, can't you? These were the most esteemed,
respected religious men. These men couldn't possibly be
wrong. And he said, you're a bunch of hypocrites. You don't know
the scriptures. You don't know the power of God.
Look at verse 41. And while the Pharisees were
gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of
Christ? That's the question. That's the
only question. They asked all these questions
that didn't amount to anything. That were useless, unprofitable,
unlearned, foolish questions. This is the question. What think
ye of Christ? That's the question. Listen to
their answer. He said, Whose son is he? And
they said unto him, Of David. He saith unto them, How then
doth David in spirit call him Lord? Saying, Thee, Lord, said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine
enemies thy footstool. If David then call him Lord,
how is he David's son? And no man was able to answer
him a word, neither does any man from that day forth ask him
any more questions. Let me tell you why this gospel
is offensive to the religious man. It's doubly offensive to
the religious man. Doubly offensive to the religious
man. When the gospel of Christ is proclaimed, every vainly,
vain religious man hears the master saying, clearly as he
was standing here saying it to these people. When this gospel
I'm preaching to you is preached, every vainly religious man hears
it as clearly as when Christ said it to them that day. You
are a hypocrite. You don't know the scriptures.
You're in error. And everything you look into
in this Word, and every discernment you have about this Word, is
carnal. Just like they said, well, he's
his son. We don't know how he could be his Lord. It's carnal. That's what men hear in this
Gospel. And it's doubly offensive, because
not only do they have to be saved from their sin, like every unregenerate
lost man in this earth, But now they've got to be saved from
their religion and their righteousness because Oh, it's going to stain
that pride so much more. So much more to admit, I've been
bowing down to a golden calf that men call Jesus this whole
time. I've been holding on a profession
that I made to a golden calf all this time. And there is absolutely
no authority in heaven or hell that will make men let go of
that, but Christ Jesus the authority who must speak into the heart
of men. Only He can do it. It's not the doctrine that offends.
Men will grab on to the doctrine and still hold on to that golden
calf with the other hand. But not one that's been saved
by God. Let me give you an example. You
consider those disciples who received the doctrine but didn't
continue in it? What proved that they didn't
continue in it? What proved that they didn't continue in it? When
they heard Christ say, I am the bread, one way, one life, one
Lord, One whom God has been pleased to have all preeminence. One
who is the fullness of all that's required. One who has the authority
to quicken and to raise the dead. One who has redeemed. One who
sits at the right hand of God. One who receives all the glory.
One who you must bow to. You must eat His flesh and drink
His blood. One. One. One. They loved the
doctrine he taught. They loved, they just sat and
marveled at how wise the doctrine was. Oh, the types were so beautiful. How he could work that all out. It was like listening to Shakespeare. And they loved to to argue men
on these points of doctrine, and to argue about these points
of doctrine, and to defend these points of doctrine. Because just
like every other vain confidence that men use to exalt themselves
over another, men will use the doctrine of Christ to do it. Until God makes this not a doctrine,
but a person. That's what He's got to do. And
He does it, brethren. He does this in the hearts of
His people. But when he said this to them,
you know what they did? That's a hard saying. You mean
this thing's a person? That's a hard saying. And they
went away and walked no more with him. Sometimes the blessing God gives
is not to bless the work too quickly so that it appears to
the natural eye that God is there. So that the word of this gospel
can go forth constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly, constantly,
so that God proves them that are His and them that are not. That's right. But by this same
authority, here's the third thing, by this same authority and this
same power, He makes His vessels of mercy rejoice. Oh, rejoice and cry out in thankfulness
to Him. By the same authority that offends,
the hearts are melted and rejoice. Let me give you an example. The
Apostle Paul there, he claimed to worship God. Just like I told
you, he was like the multitudes in our day who claim to believe
on Christ, who love the doctrine, who will hang on to the doctrine
and defend and all that thing. And he did that. But when Christ
said, follow me, he left those things. He left those things. He said, not for doctrine, that I might win Christ and be
found in Him, in a person, that I might know the power of His
resurrection. It was the power of His resurrection
that made Paul leave those things. And it always does, brethren.
It always does. You won't find one place in Scripture
where it doesn't. It always does. And the power
of His resurrection is that holy, righteous, faithfulness of God
that said when He was made sin, He must go into the grave. And
that because He had fulfilled the law of God and fulfilled
every jot and till of what God called Him, because there was
no sin in Him personally, He must be raised from that grave
because He had finished the work in faithfulness. And it's that
same power of that resurrection that says everyone for whom He
died must be brought to life and faith in Him. Paul says,
I know it, but I've left everything because I just want to keep on
knowing more of that. I want to know more of His power. I want to know more of His power. More of the power of His resurrection.
I want to know it. His authority opens the Scriptures
unto us. He walked with those on the road
to Emmaus, and it says, beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself. He wasn't trying to convince
them of a doctrine. He was trying to convince them
of a person. He's the authority that sends forth the Holy Spirit,
which testifies of Him. He said, when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, there's His
authority. I will send Him to you from the
Father. The Father's not left out, the
Spirit's not left out, but God has put Him above above all,
and made him the head unto the church to fill all. And he said,
I'll send forth the comforter from the Father. And he says,
the Spirit of truth, not maybes, not lies, the Spirit of truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, and he shall testify of me. His authority makes us rejoice
to follow Him, to be separated from our former idolatry to where
we can hear the gospel, that He's the one who's able to present
us to God spotless and faultless and without blame. They said
one to another, oh, didn't our heart burn within us as He spoke
to us? Oh, wasn't it just such a rejoicing
when He showed Himself to us and we saw Him in the Scriptures? Wasn't it such a rejoicing while He opened unto us the Scriptures? His authority makes His disciples
never leave Him. Peter said, Lord, you know, Now,
this is authority. This is authority. No preacher,
no false preacher who's trying to use some of God's words to
not offend men and to please everybody, none of them would
see a group of folks leave and say, now, you can go too if you'd
like. Man, they'd bolt the door and
put a Four before down to lock it if
they can and chain on it now and get strict now He said turn
to his disciples and said Will you go? You're free to go Nothing
stopping you wide open space out there. You see the multitude
5,000 people he had fed I don't know how many was there with
him, but he just fed 5,000 and they all came over the seat of
looking for him and here stands Twelve and one of them is a devil.
Eleven people. You can go too if you want to.
You want to go with the majority? Take off. Safety in numbers. Peter said, Lord, oh, listen to this. We need to go where we can find
this doctrine. Lord, to whom What person are we going to go
to? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are assured that Thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God. And in all this that He has the
authority to do and does, in all this, God the Father is well pleased and rejoices
in His Son. You know in that mountain Peter
beheld the Lord transfigured? And it says that he saw Moses,
the Law, and he saw Elias, the Prophets. The Law and the Prophets. And Peter said, Oh, it's been
good for us to be here. Let's make three tabernacles
now. Let's make one for Moses and let's make one for Elias. Let's make one for the prophets.
Let's make one for the law. Let's make one for the Word of
God. Let's make an altar out of the
instruments that are used. Let's make an altar out of those
things and follow those things and bow down to those things. And behold, a voice out of the
clouds said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him." When you hear that
voice, you'll hit your face. Peter hit his face. And when
Peter looked back up, he didn't see but one. Just one. Christ the Lord. 2 Peter chapter 1. Now let me read this to you and
we'll be done. 2 Peter chapter 1. Now listen to this. We have not followed, 2 Peter
1.16, we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He's talking about that day in
the mount. For he received from God the Father honor and glory
When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,
saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And
he said, And this voice which came from heaven, we heard it.
And we were with him in the holy mountain. But Peter said this,
But we have also a more sure word of prophecy. The Scriptures. Moses and Elias. Do you know who they're bearing
witness of? The righteousness of God which
is manifest without the Law and Prophets, but is witnessed by
the Law and Prophets. By Moses and Elias. Do you know
who they're bearing witness of? Do you know what they're saying
from cover to cover? Do you know what they're saying? This is My beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. Hear ye Him." And Paul said,
and we would be wise to take heed to what Moses and Elias and all
the prophets are saying. Hear Him. like a light shining in a dark
place until the day dawn and the day star rise in our hearts.
It's my prayer, it's my prayer that the authority will speak
to you this day and this word will astonish you. You'll be astonished at His doctrine
because of how He teaches you and who He is, His authority. Not to offend you, but to make
your heart rejoice. And I know this, when He does
it, you will be pleased with Him as the Father is pleased
with Him. And as the Father rejoices in
Him, you will rejoice in Him. And you will follow Him and hang
on every word from that day forward. Not a doubt in my mind. Not a
doubt. Amen.