Thank you, Sherry. So thankful for Brother John's
willingness to lead the singing. It's not easy. Matthew 22. save this question so that we
could devote more time to it. And I think you'll see why it's
too important to rush through many verses our Lord, when our
Lord was speaking, we needed to deal with. Let's read verses
41 through 46, Matthew 22. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, What think ye of Christ? Whose
Son is He? And they say unto Him, Son of
David. He saith unto them, How then
doth David in spirit call Him Lord? And he quotes Psalm 110,
saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till
I make thine enemies thy footstool." If David then called him Lord,
how is he his son? And no man was able to answer
him, nor were. And neither does any man from
that day forth ask him any more questions. And they had to come you read
with me, to ask questions to entangle him. That's not how
we know God. We don't come to question God. We don't come questioning God's Word. We come
to hear from Him. We come to, that we might hear
from Him words of life, of knowledge, of understanding. People today
still reject God's Word and reject Christ. And this is their way
of avoiding the truth and true questions is to ask many questions,
useless questions, which they think refutes or entangles or
trips us up in our religion. Things like, where did Cain get
his wife? Isn't that deep? Isn't that necessary? I'll tell
you where he got his wife. She was his sister. Okay, let's
go on. How foolish. What about the age
of the earth? How old is the earth? And just
on and on they ask questions, thinking that these things will
refute and trip up our religions, thinking they can disprove the
Bible. God's Word by their foolish questions. That's what these fellows thought.
And that's why our Lord said, you don't know the Scripture.
For the power of God, don't know God. And the question of all
questions, if men and women really ask this question, what think
you of Christ? Who is He? This One that came to earth,
of whom there's no denying. There's no denying. No flesh can deny that He came.
Our calendar reminds us every day of this person who came over
2,000 years ago. Why are we still talking about
this person? Why is there such a controversy
still about Him? Why is there such a division
about Him? Why aren't men thinking about
this, asking this question? Who is this that came? Why is
he still the subject of conversation? Why does it matter? It must be
important to us who it was. And the question our Lord asked,
this question, what think ye of Christ, is the question that
needs to be asked. You know, people go door to door,
the so-called Jehovah's Witnesses, they go to door and they ask
people, this question, what do you think about the way our world
is, the direction our world is headed? What do you think about them
taking God out of schools, public schools, and so taking prayer
out of, do you think the Ten Commandments should be? That's
what they ask. They ask these questions. And you know, if we're
going to ask people a question, this ought to be it, shouldn't
it? One question. Don't ask them any more questions.
Like our Lord. What think ye of Christ? Who
was that that came? Who was that? Who is it? Is he
alive? What think ye of Christ? The
truth hangs on there. The truth of who God is. Our
Lord said this, no man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He hath
declared Him. So He hath seen me. I've seen
the Father. The words I speak, not myself,
of God." Didn't he? Well, you think of Christ, truth
of creation. You know, Scripture says that
by Him, by Christ, were all things created. Truth about man. Christ came. He said, if I hadn't
come, you'd have no sin. I've exposed you. I've revealed
man for what he really is. Light has come into this world.
Life. To show who's dead. To reveal
darkness. Man loves darkness. This is the
question. If he is who Scripture says he
is, and he is. I'm not saying this as if I doubt. No, no, no. But just posing this
to men, if He is who Scripture says He is, whom He said He is,
this world and all who reject Him is in a great deal of trouble. But all who know Him, if He is
who Scripture says and who He said He is, all who know Him,
and all who believe Him, and all who look to Him, and all
who trust Him, and all who are in Him by faith, and He and them,
you should be full of joy and rejoicing. This message, I hope,
will, number one, glorify God. It's God's Word. Christ said
this. This is the question. Christ
said, this is the question. I'm asking. I've got the right
message. This is what Christ said. This is what Christ said
to have. I've got to admit, it will glorify God. It will. And
it ought to encourage God's people. I hope it will encourage God's
people. If there's a pulse, if there's a slightest bit of faith,
if it's there, then you do know who this is. I know what you
think of Christ. And you didn't think that of
yourselves. There came a time when God gave
you an understanding that you might know Him and His truth.
And when asked this question, you know who He is. You say like
Peter of old, don't you? We don't think. When he said,
who do men say that I am? He said, we know and are sure. Not we think, we believe. No,
no. We know that thou art the Son of God, the Christ. No doubt
in our mind. How can you be so sure? Because
He is. Because He lives. And in Him
we live. We want to sing that song, He
Lives in Me. Nah, I don't believe that. Well,
no you don't, because He didn't reveal Himself to you. But God's people know, and I
hope this will be convicting to those who don't know Him.
I understand that nothing I say can convict anybody of anything.
I understand that. That's why I preach the Word.
I do understand that nothing I say can convict someone of
coldness and deadness and lukewarmness, which worries me greatly about
some in this room. But maybe what our Lord asked
will convict that cold, dead heart and cause it to really
ask itself, to commune with itself, with thy heart, and ask myself,
what do I think of Christ? Because the state of my heart,
the state of my eternal soul depends upon my answer to that. That's how important this is.
Every person in here who's able, of an age that's able to understand
this Word, must ask themselves an answer from the heart. Not
the head, but from the heart. What do I think of Christ? What
do I really think? Let me answer this question the
way our Lord answered it. He said, whose son is he? He answered that first, didn't
He? Whose son is he? They said David, verse 42. They
said he's the son of David. They knew that from the Scriptures.
Son of David. Lion of the tribe of Judah. Is
he David's son? Yes, he is. But no, he's not. This is a mystery. The world
doesn't understand this. They're not asking it. They're
not asking that question. They don't really care. It doesn't
really matter to them. Not even religion, why he had
to be of the seed of David. You know, don't you? God's people
know why he had to be made flesh. and dwell amongst us, and be
of the seed of David, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the king,
Shiloh." God's people know that, don't they? David's God's chosen
king. He said, I found me a man after
my own heart. Is he talking about David? Well,
yes, but no. He's talking about the son of
David. He's talking about Christ who came, made of a woman, born
under the law, of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Judah, David the king. This is the king. That's how
he announced his coming. This is the king. And that's
what they put over his Cross, when He was crucified, King of
the Jews. But now hold on, is it? Do the Jews acknowledge Him
now as King? But He is. He's everyone's King. But His Kingdom's not of this
world, you see. His Kingdom is not of this world. His throne's not in Israel, in
Jerusalem. His throne's in the heavens.
Thou set thy thrones in the heavens. He's seated at the right hand
of the majesty on high. And as we read, a scepter of
righteousness. Not a physical, material scepter,
but a scepter of righteousness is a scepter of His kingdom.
This is the King, the eternal King, who's always been King,
Lord, Sovereign over all. This is God. Isn't that what
you think? He's the Son of David. You know, I brought up, and I
want to get off of these false religionists real quickly, but
Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door to try to deny the deity
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what they're doing is forsaking
their own mercy. If He's not God, He's the biggest imposter ever
to live. He's the biggest idolater. He
let men worship Him. He let them call Him my Lord
and my God. He said He forgave sins. They
said, who can forgive sin but God if He's not God? He's just
a man like us and He can't save a flea. And He didn't need to
come. Why did He die? What's all that about? What thank
you of Christ? Whose Son is it? The Russellites,
Jehovah's Witnesses, go door to door saying he's a God. Honestly,
their Bible says not the Son of God, but a son, small s, of
God. That's what their Bible says.
And they try to make men understand that. And they're blind leaders
of the blind. Unto the Son he saith. Who saith? God said it. Isaiah 45, we read it. Quoted
in Hebrews 1, God saith, Let all the angels worship Him. Who? God. Under the sun He saith,
Thy throne, O God, is forever. He's God. You must believe. You
must know that He's God. And it's not a thing of doctrine
here. If you know He's your God, like Thomas, you'll fall down
before His feet daily Ask Him. He's your God in whom you live
and move and have your being. And you talk to Him, you converse
with Him, you thank Him, you praise Him, you sing. You're
not forced to be singing if He's your God and you live, you're
alive and you know He's your God and you're in His hands and
He's in your heart. You're alive and you thank Him
like a person. And I'm getting way ahead of
myself here. This is proof of life. What think ye of Christ? Well, He's God. Sure He is. Of course He is. Can't be anyone
else. God, He's man. Yes, He's man.
We know that He's man. Why? For the suffering of death,
for the fulfilling of the law, for the fulfilling of the Scripture.
that he might suffer according to the Scripture, that he might
die. God can't die. Man must die. God became a man. You understand
that, don't you? What do you think of Christ?
You know why He's God and why He's man. You know that. The
world doesn't care. Not even thinking of it. Is He the son of Joseph? Well, of course not. Many people
believe that. Is He the son of Mary? Most people
believe that. Is it? He never called her mother.
He never once called her mother. The Word of God never calls Him
the Son of Mary. No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. God's Word, not confusing, called
the Son of God, Son of David, never the Son of Mary. It says
Mary's son, but not as a title to which you refer to Him as
the Son of Mary. That would give Mary preeminence,
wouldn't it? No, no. Son of God. Because when Mary came to him
a couple of times and called him son, do you remember what
he said? When Mary called him son, they don't have any wine. Woman, what have I to do with
thee? What hold do you have over me? Do I owe anything to you? Do
I owe my existence to you? Do I answer to you? You answer to me. That baby that Mary held was
Mary's father. That's right. Her egg played
no part in his existence. That means he had the seed of
man in him. No sir. That holy thing, God
said, is of God. The Lord didn't owe His existence
to Mary. He's born of a womb of a woman
to fulfill the law because we're made flesh. He's made flesh,
but that flesh is a body that God had prepared Him, the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Not Adam,
our Father, but His Father, God. No doubt in our mind, isn't it?
But thank you, Christ. Whose Son is He? The Son of Mary?
The Son of God. What about the Son of God? Yes,
He is the Son of God. And I thought about this. What
was He referred to long before He was referred to as the Son?
In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word
was God. At some point, he was referred to as the son, the only
begotten God in a body, a bodily image of God. But he was the
word equal with the Father, not less than. You think of a son,
you think of someone less than the Father, don't you? And in that sense, as a man,
he had in subjection to God the Father, wasn't it, as a son,
as a perfectly obedient son to the Father, but it says he thought
it not robbery to be equal with the Father, with God. Why? Because
he is. Because he is Jehovah. I don't
understand preachers. I don't either, but I believe.
What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? He's that priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek in it, having no beginning of
days, no end of life. No father, Nobody there. God's people don't understand
it. And that's what John wrote. He said, We know that the Son
of God has come and given us an understanding that we might
know Him that is true, and that we're in Him that is true. And
this is eternal life, and this is the true God. He's God. He's
God. Whose Son is it? And as said,
if he's not God, he's not the Creator. He doesn't own everything.
He's not Lord over all. If he's not God, he can't forgive
sin. If he's not God, he's a blasphemer. And yet the Scripture says every
knee is going to bow to him. Every knee. But since he is God,
that means he owns everything and he's a judge over all. And
life and death and all matters are in his hands. That's why,
what think ye of Christ? is the question. If He's God
now, that means we're in His hands. Our breath is the keys
of hell and death at His side. That's what He said. That's what
Scripture said. Well, thank you, Christ. So here's
the question, and I want, now gather yourselves, okay? May the Holy Spirit gather our
minds. Here's the question, and I'm not talking to the Pharisees
now. Not addressing them, but us. Here's the question to each
of us. What think ye of Christ? Ye. This is the question by Christ
to us individually. What do you think of Christ?
Not the Pharisees. Never mind. It's of no consequence
to you what they say. What do you think of Christ? It's a very revealing, it's a
very personal question. You, you, the state of our heart
and our soul, our eternal soul, hangs on the answer. And I'm not talking about just
giving the right doctrine. I mean from the heart, but with
the heart men believeth. All right? It says, what think
ye of Christ? You know, some, most people don't
think on Him at all. Most people don't think on Him
at all. The Scripture says God is not
in all their thoughts. Most people don't think on Him
at all. They never give Him a thought.
If you'll listen here, cars going by. It's nothing to them. They pass by. Nothing to it. We've got on our
sign out here, to the praise of the glory of His grace. People
in here are praising the glory of His grace. Don't need grace. What's grace?
Who cares? Who you talk? His grace. Everything's
by grace. By grace, by the grace of God
we are. It's nothing to them that pass
by. Here's the point, and men and
women and young people aren't thinking much at all, certainly
not of God and eternity and of Christ. Listen to this. Charles
Spurgeon said this in 1873. Listen to this. You think anything's
different today? He said, man has invented mechanical
devices in order to get away from the
Terrible necessity of thinking. Radio you're talking about, telegraph
or something, you know, things that, phonographs keep us from
thinking and they're destroying the soul because they're not
thinking. Conscience seared with a hot iron by things. Oh, if
that isn't relevant. Nobody's thinking, stopping thinking.
What do you think on? What think you? What do you think
on? Do you know whatever or whoever
you think on that you're not? Whatever you think on, whoever
you think on is your life, your love, right? Can a husband or
a wife go long without thinking of their spouse? It's not possible
if you're really married, in heart, in heart, you might be
on paper. Can a husband say, oh, it's Sunday,
I've got to go home. It's time, I've got to go home,
I'm supposed to go home. Come on now. Life. You're alive, you're married.
Thy maker is thy husband. Is it? Is it? You think on it? You think,
oh, it's Sunday, I've got to go worship, got to go worship
the Lord. That's just not sad. That's just
not sad. Not at all. I wouldn't discourage
anyone because we all go times without thinking much on our
Lord and things deaden us and that's where the danger is. But
buddy, if we, you know, if that stays, If it stays that way,
we're dead. We're dead. Can a parent go along
without thinking of a child and vice versa? Who you think on, what you think
on, is who you love. That's your life. Isn't that
right? It's natural. It's our nature. We can't go long without thinking
about things involving our lives. It's our nature, food and drink.
Food and drink. How long... This is a foolish
question. How long do some of you go without
thinking about eating or drinking? If you're alive, you hunger and
thirst, don't you? How long can you go without thinking
about food? This is what old people do, don't
they? Old people are sitting at one
meal, eating, and thinking about the next, aren't they? What are
we going to have for lunch, huh? Eat and breakfast. Isn't it so?
You're alive. You're hungry. You're thirsty.
Food's good to you. That's about all life has to
give you now, you know. It's the food. And our Lord said,
blessed are they that hunger and thirst. After what? After
what? Who? Christ said, I am the bread. By me, if any man eat of me,
not die, he'll live. He said, except you eat my flesh
and drink my blood, you have no part in me. You don't have
life. How long can you go without thinking
about your life? Christ, how long? If you're alive,
not long at all. You get hungry and you get thirsty.
And I must have this Gospel. I must hear His voice. I must
feed upon Him. This is just a fact. What think
ye of? Christ. Right? And I'm trying to give... I wouldn't discourage anybody,
but I'm trying to say, if you think of Him at all, and if you
think of Him very often, if you do really think of Him as He
is, as He really is, Thank God. There was a time when He didn't.
There was a time I didn't give Him a thought. He was not in me. I never gave
Him a thought. But I do now. Blessed God, by
the grace of God, now I do. Now I think on these things. Not me. He loved to eat. It's obvious that
some of us do, all of us do. And drink this gospel wine. Is it good to you? David said,
Thy word is like honey, better than fine honey. Oh, the unsearchable
riches of Christ. Somebody really esteems Him as
all. Has to say, oh, I just love to
hear Christ exalted. What do you think of Christ?
He's all. I know I act like sometimes He's
not, but He really is. Paul said, oh, I want to win
Christ and be found in Him. And all this other stuff is nothing
at all. Really, vanity of vanities. Doesn't
it bother you how you get caught up in all this stuff? You know,
you can only be alive if it bothers you, like locked, vexed, not
with only the conversation of the wicked, but in yourself.
Why do these things, why do I think on these things? Why do these
things seem to lure me when I really want to know my God? One thing have I desired, David.
There's a man who knows God. Here's a man who thinks on God.
He said, one thing have I desired of David. And that's what I seek
after, to behold the beauty of the Lord. Here's a man who knows
God. Here's a man who has life. Here's
a man who thinks on things above. He said, whom have I in heaven
but thee? There's no marriage in heaven.
David says, he had wives, he loved them. Whom have I in heaven
but thee? And there's none on earth I desire. He said, well, thank you, God. Who do you think of now? This
is what our Lord asked then. This is what our Lord asked.
This is what our Lord asked. And what we need to ask ourselves.
What do I really think of Jesus Christ? Not here, because with
the heart, man believeth on the salvation. And then with the
mouth, confession is made. Peter, lovest thou me more than
these? Oh Lord. Yes. Thou knowest. You know because you put it there. Head doctrine won't save you.
I had it. I had it. I didn't know the Lord. A person can sit and listen to
this searching question, and it not really search their
heart. I'm worried about them. Worried about them. What think ye of Christ with
the heart? When Scripture says things like
this, He has made unto us wisdom. You know who He's wisdom to.
A fool. A man who knows, I'm just a fool.
I'm a fool. I've acted foolishly. I'll always
be a fool. Fool has said, no God. And said,
I act like, so often, like I don't even know God. How foolish. I foolishly rebel against my
God. I foolishly don't pay attention to my Father's all the way. I'm
a fool. But He's made unto us wisdom.
If any man lacks wisdom, oh, let him ask. Christ is our wisdom. Oh, aren't you glad? This is
not what you know. It's who knows you. That's what He knows. Righteousness. You know who says from the heart,
Christ is my righteousness? an ungodly man, a wicked man,
a sinner. I mean a Roman seventh sinner.
In my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I have no righteousness,
filthy rag. I try and I can't. All I can
seem to do is sin. The Scripture says, Christ is
made unto you righteous. Oh, that's good news. What do you think of Christ?
He's my righteousness. Surely shall one say, after Isaiah
53, says, surely after hearing this, shall one say, the Lord
In the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Here's one about
you. What thing do you have cried?
Redemption. Do you have any redeeming qualities? Is there anything that the Lord
could find in you? Why He should purchase your redemption,
pay your ransom? Why should He go after you, gomer? Sold yourself? Don't give your
husband a thought. Why should he pay that awful
price, that great price of his own precious blood? Why would
he do it? What do you think of Christ being
your redemption? Oh, my. Elect. He's the elect. Prophet, priest, king, and on
and on I could go. I'm going to close. But when
Scripture says things like this, He's made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. He's our prophet, our priest,
and our king. He's my prophet. What do you
think of Christ? He's my prophet. He's the prophet
of all God's people. The woman at the well came and
didn't know Christ yet. But she said, I perceive that
thou art a prophet. And she said, when Christ has come, He'll tell
us all things. And Christ said, I am. Now who do you reckon she went
to from then on? Who do you reckon she heard from
then on? Who do you reckon she consulted? You want to know something? You
want to know future events? Who do you consult? Our prophet.
Our prophet. There are no more prophets. I
don't need another prophet. I've got one, thank you. Like
Moses said, that prophet. You'll hear him. You'll follow
him. He's my prophet. Moroni, that moron. I have Jesus Christ. Why would
I listen to that guy? He doesn't know. He doesn't know
even God. Christ is my problem. My priests. My priests. So many people are so dead, aren't
they, confessing to a man. Why would they do that? Well,
I confess to a man. I have a priest. He's eternal
in the heavens. Seated at the right hand of God.
And you know, he's able to put away my sins that I confess.
He's the only one. I confess daily to Jesus Christ
all my sins. And you know what he said? He's
able to forgive us all our sins. Able. My sins have been forgiven. He's my priest. He's my king.
I bow to Him. I call to Him. I ask Him. King
is the one you get everything from, who reigns over you. And I do. He is my Lord. I didn't
make Him that. God made Him that. God just told
me one day by His mercy and grace. He's my husband. I depend on
Him completely. I am the weaker vessel. I am
weak, poor and needy, but my husband, has it all. And I depend on Him. He's my friend. There is a friend
that sticketh closer than a brother. I love my friends and I'm thankful
for them, but none of them like Him. And I don't go to them and
I don't confess things to them and I don't seek their shoulder
to lean on, but I do His. He's my counselor. I can keep
going. He's my counselor. He's a wonderful counselor. If
I need counsel, and I need it, and David said it, thy testimonies
are my counsels. Oh my, more wise than all the... He's made foolish the counsels
of this world. So I go to Him. I don't see any
wisdom. I see nothing but foolishness
in what the wise of this world say, but I see in Him wise words
of counsel that I need concerning anything. I go to Him. He's my
counselor. He's my Lord. He's my master. He's my master, like a dog has
a master. A dog has a master. Looks to that master. Walks with
that master. My old dog Abner, you know, Rick
and Jenny's daughter Sarah, her and Austin got a dog recently
and they named him Abner. It was a great honor to me. She
said, I heard those stories about Abner all my life and it made
such an impression on me. And she said, we named our dog
Abner. Well, I thank the Lord for that
young lady. But that old dog, I still think
about him. Oh, did he think about me. He lived for me. He lived for me. He lay at the
door. waiting for me to come out. Look
to me constantly. Listen to me. Just a pat on the
head. Just a word from me. You going walking? You going
walking? I'm coming with you. Come on, buddy. What do you think of Christ?
Is He your Master? Lord, I want to go. Where are
you going? I want to follow You. You're my Master." That's the question, isn't it?
Isn't that the question? What do you think of crying?
What do I think of crying? No one can answer that for you,
us. I hope and pray, my heart's prayer
and desire to God for Israel, for you, is that you might be
saved, us and our children, And that Christ might live in us,
and you dwell in Him. Life. He that hath the Son, that's
life. And it's not here. It's here. Heart. Lord, give us a heart.
Alright, let's close by singing number 466. And you know, only someone with Christ
in them can really sing this. 466. Christ liveth in thee. 466. Let's stand. Once far from God and dead in
sin, no light of good in God's Word the light I've
found. Now Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. What a salvation then that Christ
liveth in me. Sing the last verse. With longing
all my heart is filled. that Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. O Lord of salvation, that Christ
liveth in me. Kevin? Hey, buddy. Let me straighten this. Pull it that way. Pull it that
way just there. Yeah. Okay, good. Thank you. Hey, Karen. How are you? Fine. How are you? Mike okay? Yeah, he's out of
town on business. Oh, okay. Tell him we missed
him. Hey, Kevin. Thank you. Your parents still under the
weather? I don't think I turned it off. I didn't.