Have your Bibles. This afternoon,
please turn to Matthew 16. Look at Matthew 16. We want to
look at our text from verses 13 down to 17. And I've titled this message,
Who is the Son of Man? You know in Psalms 8, that our
brother just read at the top of my Bible, it says that God's
glory is magnified by His great love to man. And then he says in verse 4 of
that chapter, what is man? that thou art mindful of him,
the son of man, that thou visited him." You know, it says that
meditation is good for the soul, and to ponder is to think carefully
about a subject. And there is no better subject
on the face of the earth than to think about the person and
the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, when God opens the
eyes and the heart of his people, By His power, we are able to
see ourselves for who we really are. And at the same time that
He opens our eyes, we are able to see Jesus Christ for who He
really is. You know, it says in Romans,
a lot of false religions and people in religion don't like
this verse. The Bible says in Romans 3, 4, let God be true,
but every man a liar. We'll go ahead and read our text
here, beginning in verse 13. It says, when Jesus came into
the coast of Caesarea Philpi, he asked his disciples, saying,
who do men say that I, the son of man, am? And they said, some
say that there are John the Baptist, some Elijah, and other Jeremiah's,
or one of the prophets. Then he said unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Listen
to what Christ tells him here. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood
have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. You know, he calls himself here
the Son of Man. And he took his low title because
he became flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. You know,
he'd become a real man. You know, when you think about
who He is, He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.
The Bible says in the book of Galatians, for by Him were all
things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, both visible
and invisible. He is Almighty God, and He humbled
Himself. You know, God's people have no
doubt about who he is, but what he did for the love of his bride,
and that's what the church is, and I'm not talking about the
building, but I'm talking about his brethren, that he placed
in Christ before the foundation of the world, it can't help but
cause us to humble us. You know, God's word says in
Ephesians, according as he hath chosen us, who's us? The elect. in him before the foundation
of the world. Why did he do it? That we should
be holy and without blame before him in love in Christ. And you know he come, whenever
he come to this earth to the human eye, he looked just like
an ordinary man to everyone. Isaiah 53 says, he hath no form
nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that
we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." If there ever was
a man that was acquainted with grief, it was our dear Lord.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. You know, the Lord
Jesus took on the title, the Son of Man. And to really meditate
upon that and to think about it, God became a man. He became 100% man, and yet he
was 100% God. You know, the theme of this lesson,
most of it, is how God, Almighty God, humbled himself for the
love of man. But anyway, someone wrote this
article here about him. And when we consider, like I
said, who He is, really consider who He is. There never was a
time when He wasn't, and there never will be a time when He
won't be. You know, the Bible says Jesus Christ, yesterday,
today, and forever. But someone wrote this article
about Him right here, and when we consider who He is and what
He did, and what He went through for His people, it's beyond amazing. The article, it said, he was
born 2,000 years ago. And keep in mind who we're talking
about here. He was born 2,000 years ago in
poverty. The scriptures say that there
was no room for him in the inn. He was born in a manger. That's
where men fed their cattle, and their horses, and their mules,
and their sheep. It's an open box wearing a cross.
And he was raised in obscurity. You know, it says that he was
a son of an unmarried young woman. That woman was a virgin. She'd
never been with a man. In Genesis 3.15, God's Word says
that he was born of a seed of a woman. And we all know that
a woman doesn't have a seed. But in Matthew, his word says
to Mary, that which is conceived in you is of a holy ghost, and
you shall call his name Jesus. What does that name mean? It
means Savior. I thank God for that. It says
that he shall save his people from their sins. You know, his
foster father was a carpenter. He was not a man of influence.
This man, Jesus Christ, He had no formal training at all. He
had no formal education. And as far as we know, he never
traveled more than 90 miles from his home, from his hometown. His friends were poor people
and unknown people called by the religious leaders of that
day, publicans and sinners. This man, Jesus, which is the
Christ, he never owned a piece of property. He never owned a
house. And it reminds me of what he
said in Matthew 820. He says, the foxes have hoes,
and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath
not work to lay his head. And as far as we know, all the
clothes that he ever had on was a robe that was on his back.
And then when he was 33 years of age, he was accused of preaching
heresy. In other words, what our Lord
was preaching was at odds with the Jewish leaders of that day. And they rejected him. They did
not believe him. And upon the testimony of false
witnesses that they hired, and you can find that in Matthew
and Mark. And if you remember, even Pilate said that he could
find no fault in him. But to satisfy the chief priests
and religious leaders of that day, he was to be hung on a cross. He didn't have but 12 followers
called his disciples. One of them betrayed him, and
the other one denied that he even knew him several times. And the others forsaked him whenever
he was arrested. He was taken by the palace guards,
and they beat him almost to death. The scriptures say that you couldn't
even tell that he was a man. He was taken outside of the walls
of Jerusalem, and he was nailed between two thieves. He was so
poor that after he died, he was taken down, and he was placed
in a borrowed tomb. Now this man, Jesus Christ, he
never wrote a book, yet all the libraries in the world cannot
contain the books that have been written about him. This man,
Jesus Christ, he never wrote a song, yet he's been the theme
of more songs than all other subjects combined. This man,
Jesus Christ, he never founded a college, yet all the colleges
together cannot boast of as many students as those who are studying
his life. This man, Jesus Christ, he never
studied medicine, yet he healed more broken bones and broken
hearts than all the physicians that have ever lived. Satan himself
couldn't seduce him, religious leaders couldn't answer him,
and the best lawyers of his day couldn't entangle him. and the
government could find no fault in him. Death couldn't destroy
him, and the grave couldn't hold him. And almost the whole world
has heard of him from the time that he walked on this earth.
And to this day, there has never been no end to the controversy
as to who he is. Let's look at Matthew 16 again. Look at verse 13 and 14. When Jesus came into the coast
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, whom do
men say that I, the son of man, am? And they said, some say that
there are John the Baptist, some Elijah, and other Jeremiah, or
one of the prophets. You know, he said, who do men
say that I am? Something to point out here is
that our Lord Jesus Christ, he never asks a question to find
something out, because he already knows all things. Hebrews 4,
13 says, neither is there any creature that is not manifested
in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes
of him with whom we have to do. You know, as I say, he asked
questions. He asked his questions to get men to confess what was
in their hearts. You know, when he was in the
garden, he said, where are you, Adam? He knew where Adam was.
He knew he'd sinned against him. He just wanted Adam to confess.
Adam was hiding. He had put some fig leaves around
him because he recognized that he was naked because he'd sinned
against God. Whenever he asked Cain, Cain,
where's your brother at? He wasn't asking him because
he didn't know. He knew where Cain was. And he knew that the
blood of Abel was on Cain's hand. And he wanted him to confess
it. You know, by using this title,
Son of Man, Christ Jesus was conveying the truth that he was
entirely human and also God in the flesh. He says here in Luke
19, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which
was lost. And we all know that only God,
only God can forgive sin. And any time that I sin, any
time that man sins, it's never against other men. It's always
against God. We may do other men wrong, and
say wrong things, but sin is always against God. You know,
I love that verse, and we're all familiar with it, but it's
in 1 Timothy 3, 16. The word says, and without controversy
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, thank God, believed on in the world, and received
up into glory. You know, our Lord used this
title, Son of Man, many times throughout the Gospels. Some
say 70 and 80 times. You know, Mark Chapter 8, Verse
31, God's Word says, And He, and this is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking, And He began to teach them, which was His disciples,
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days, he would
rise again. As I said before, Almighty God
become a man, the God-man, Jesus Christ. He come in this world
to suffer and to die, and that was his purpose for coming, to
die for the sins of the people that the Father had placed in
him before the foundation of the world. And in Ephesians,
God's word says, in whom we have redemption, through His blood. And may I take note right there,
there is no other way that a person can be saved except through the
blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible says neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven
whereby a man must be saved. And God shows that to the heart
of His children. It says here, as the Lord said
in Mark 8 31, after three days, he would rise again. You know,
he's coming back for his children, and that's something that we've
all got to look forward to. He come as a servant, and he
died at the hands of man, but that was ordained by the Father
for the foundation of the world. But when he comes back, he's
not going to come back as a servant. He's going to come back as a
Lord of Lords and a King of Kings. He's going to come back for his
people. He's going to come back for me and you. You know, I remember,
I think it was in John chapter 14, he told his disciples after
he told them that he was going to leave this world, he said,
don't let your heart be troubled. He said, I'm going to go prepare
a place for you. And whenever I go and I get that
place prepared, at the time set, I'm going to come back and get
you. So he's coming back. If you would, look at Matthew
25.31 and hold your place here. Matthew 25.31. He's going to come back as a Lord of lords
and a king of kings. He says in verse 31 of Matthew
25, when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory. And before him shall be gathered
all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divide of his sheep, and he is our great shepherd from the goats.
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on his left. Then listen to verse 34. Then
shall the king say unto them on his right hand, those whom
he had placed in Christ, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
That shows his exaltation and rule. And it also shows that
Daniel predicted it. If you will, turn to the book
of Daniel. That's just after the book of Ezekiel. His blessed is the heart of his
people. And we're looking for him because whatever he says,
it's going to happen. Chapter 7, the book of Daniel. Daniel saw a vision that came
from God. Chapter 7, verse 13. God's Word says, I saw in the
night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with
the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of Days, and they
brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages
should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed. You know, when God's people,
and I'm talking about those that have been washed in the blood
of the Lamb, you know, they're going to see the Son of Man,
our Lord Jesus Christ, sitting on His throne in glory. You know,
the Bible says that there's one God and one Savior. And it also says that there are
three in heaven, God the Father, the Word, which is Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. So we're going
to see Him sitting on His throne in heaven. and he's coming back,
and that's something that should really bless our hearts. A piece
of scripture that I love so much, and I love so many of them, but
if you will, look at Revelations 1. You know, he could come before
we leave this building here. Revelation 1, and we're talking
about the Son of Man here, the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation
1. Look at verse 7 and 8. God's Word says, Behold, he cometh
with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him. And all kindred of the earth
shall rail because of him. Even so, amen. He says, I am
Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the ending,
says the Lord, which is, and which was, and listen to this,
which is to come, the Almighty. And I thank God for that. We'll
turn one more time, if you would, to the book of Philippians, chapter two. You have to be patient with me.
Philippians chapter 2. Look at verse 5. Philippians 2 verse 5. He says, Let this mind be in
you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ
every knee shall bow at things in heaven and things on earth. or in earth and things under
the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God. Let's go back to our text in
Matthew 16. There is no controversy as to
who he is. when it comes to those whose
eyes have been opened. The controversy, it belongs to
those And the reason there's controversy to this day is because
their eyes have not been opened. And that's, look here at verse
13 again. It says, when Jesus came into
the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying,
who do men say that I, the Son of Man am? Well, you know, they
say, well, some say that thou art John's, John the Baptist,
some Elijah, and others Jeremiah's, or one of the prophets. And that
controversy goes on today. But that controversy is with
lost men. It's not with men. It is not with men that has been
saved by the power of God. I thank God for that. You know, the Son of Man, He
was perfect man. He was completely sandless. And
by using this title, He's identifying with His people. You know, when
Judas went out to becray Him, our Lord Jesus said, Now is the
Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be
glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and straightway
glorify Him. What's He saying? I and my Father
are one. You know, He was the perfect
man because He was God in the flesh. God's Word says in 1 Timothy,
For there is one God and one mediator between God and man.
the man Jesus Christ. You ever think about this? I
do sometimes. You know, there's only one Redeemer,
and that's our Lord Jesus Christ. And he didn't have to do what
he done. You know, I wrote here, what if Christ the Lord had decided
to take on the nature of angels instead of the seed of Abraham?
All of mankind would have been lost. Because we would not have
had a redeemer, for mankind was no better than the angels. You
know, all men have sinned and rebelled against God. You know,
God's word says in Psalm 14, it says, the Lord looked down
from heaven upon the children of man to see if there were any
that did understand and seek God. What did he see? God said,
they are all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good, no not one. And I need
to think about this every day and thank him for his everlasting
mercy and his everlasting grace. Psalm 8 says that what is man,
that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou
visiteth him. That's a good verse to meditate
upon Him. You know, why did Almighty God, why did He visit man? Why
did He choose the seed of Abraham instead of taking on the form
of angels? Because it pleased Him to do
that. He is God. Hebrews 2.16 says, Verily, He
took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the
seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren, he calls us his brethren,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of his people, not
the whole world, but for the sins of a particular people.
Then in verse 16 right here of our text, And Simon Peter answered,
you know, he said, but whom do you say that I am? And Simon
Peter answered and said, and this is the confession of every
child of God. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God. In verse 17, he says, And Simon
Peter answered and said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,
for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven. You know, the Lord Jesus Christ
said, no man can come to me except the Father growing. No child
of God has anything to boast about or to brag about, other
than one thing, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know,
God's work of salvation for a particular people, it's all in His hands. Man plays no role whatsoever
whatsoever, man, play no role. And I like that right there,
you know, because it reminds me of that verse. That reminds
me of that verse, the truth will set you free. I don't have to
worry about going out here and falling. I heard one preacher
say, if it was left up to me, I'd fall a thousand times a day.
And I would. I thank God. I thank God for
his precious grace and his love and his mercy. I pray that that
be a blessing. May God give the glory. All the glory.