Mark chapter 14. Mark 14. Now the Lord had been arrested and
brought before the high priest, but they were unable to get a
witness against him. Let's pick up 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 witnesses agreed not together. And there arose
certain and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard
him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands,
and within three days I'll build another made without hands. And
you know, he did say that. He did say that. But neither
so did their witnesses agree together. And the high priest,
verse 60, 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. Again, the high priest asked
him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the And Jesus said unto him, I am. I am the Christ. I am the Son
of the Blessed. I am the Son of God. And you shall see the Son of
Man sitting on the right hand of
power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest
rent his clothes and said, what need we any further witnesses?
You've heard the blasphemy. What think ye? What do you see? What is your opinion? What are
your thoughts? And they all condemned him to
be guilty of death. Now the high priest was upset
that our Lord stood before him and didn't say anything. And
so he finally brings it all to a head. Now tell us, are you
the Christ? Are you the Son of God? And our Lord answered him, I
am. I am. This is what infuriated men about
Christ. It was not the things that he
did. He went about doing good. He'd heal sick people. He'd cleanse
lepers. He'd give sight to blind people.
He'd raise the dead. People were not upset with the
things that he did. They were upset with the claims
he made concerning himself. Let me show you this in the Scripture.
Would you turn to John chapter 5, verse 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father
worketh hitherto, and I work. When My Father works, I work. Therefore the Jews sought the
more to kill him because he had not only broken the Sabbath,
but he said also that God was his father making himself equal
with God. And they wanted to kill him over
this. Here is this man saying, I am equal with God. Look in John chapter 8, verse
56. The Lord says, 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 fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus saith unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast
at him. But Jesus hid himself and went
out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed
by. Turn to John chapter 10. He said in verse 30, I and my
Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. Jesus answered them, many good
works have I showed you from my Father, for which of these
works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying,
for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, because
that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. You see, this is
what upset these fellows, the claims he made concerning himself. Look back at Luke chapter 4,
one other scripture regarding this. Luke chapter 4. Beginning in verse 18, he's reading
from Isaiah chapter 61. He says, The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he
gave it to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all of
them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he
began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears. I am the fulfillment of this
scripture. And you go on in this passage
of scripture, verse 28, And all they in the synagogue, when they
heard these things, were filled with wrath. They rose up and
thrust him out of the city, and led him up unto the brow of the
hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him
down headlong." They were going to throw him off a cliff because
of the claims he made concerning himself. Now back to our text. In John, I mean in Mark chapter
14, Verse 61, 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. Then the high priest rent his
clothes and said, What need ye any further witnesses? You've
heard the blasphemy. What think ye? Now this is the
statement that hit me. What think ye? What is your opinion? What are your thoughts concerning
the claims that this man has made? What think ye? Now, in this instance, the people
demonstrated what they thought about his claims, because look
what they said. Verse 64, 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 say unto him,
Prophesy. And the servants did strike him
with the palms of their hands." What do you think about this? What's your opinion? What are
the thoughts that arise through your mind regarding the claims
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we all have an opinion. Nobody can claim no opinion,
no affiliation. When we claim no opinion, we
just don't know. We don't have a real strong view
about this. We're saying it's just not important
enough to us to have a strong opinion. So we're showing our
opinion when we say, I don't have an opinion. Now, hear the
Lord's words as he prophesied from the cross in the book of
Lamentations. He said, is it nothing to you?
Is it nothing? to you all ye that pass by behold
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is
done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the great
day of his anger." Now everybody in this room has an opinion. You have thoughts. What is your opinion? Now God sees what your thoughts
are. He knows what's going on in our
hearts. All things are naked and open
in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. And remember this,
our thoughts are what we really are. What's going on in your
mind right now, that's the real you. You know, we all try to
project a certain image, don't we? Every one of us do that. We try to project an image. There's
nobody that's not guilty of that. We want people to think certain
things about us. I love what David said. He said,
Surely every man walketh in a vain so. And you know that so. Every
man does walk in a vain so. But the image we project is not
what we really are. That's just what we want people
to think we are. The Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7 says, As a
man thinketh in his heart, so is he. My thoughts, your thoughts,
are what we really are. So another way to ask this question,
what thinking, is what's in your heart? What's in your heart regarding
the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ? Now understand this,
what God thinks of us will be seen in what we think of His
Son. How God views you and me is seen
in how we view His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here the people
gave an honest answer regarding their thoughts concerning Christ.
They said He's guilty to be condemned to death. They hated His claims. What is in your heart? What is your opinion? Now I repeat,
God sees our thoughts. We can lie to ourselves and make
it out like we're just not that sure, but understand this, we
are either for Him or we're against Him. There is no neutral ground. There is no buffer states. There's no in-between. We are
either His loyal subjects or his bitter enemies. You can't
say, I just don't know, I haven't figured it out yet. No, you're
either utterly for him or you're utterly against him. You either
believe him or you don't believe him. What are your thoughts? What thinking? Now look back in our text once
again. Confine ourselves to what the
Lord said and see what our thoughts are about that verse 61 But he
held his peace All these people were making these accusations
against him and he didn't say a thing now. I know the way I
am Somebody makes an accusation against me. I'm quick to defend
myself But not the Lord He kept his mouth shut He didn't say
anything now. There's several reasons for that.
I One, because it was prophesied in the scripture that he wouldn't
say anything. He just stood there. Not trying to defend himself,
he knew he was in his father's hands. You know, if you know
you're in the Lord's hands, you don't need to worry about defending
yourself, do you? He'll take care of that. But
another reason he kept his mouth shut is because he was guilty.
As the sinner substitutes everything they accused him of, he was guilty
of. And so he kept his mouth shut. The sins of his people actually
became his. There wasn't any reason to defend himself. There's
nothing to defend. He's guilty. So the high priest again asked
him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Are you the Christ, the Son of
God? What do you think? Well, first, what's he mean?
Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Now, I'm sure most
of you know the Christ means the anointed, the anointed, God's
anointed, God's anointed prophet, the Word of God, God's anointed
priest, the only way I can come into the Father's presence. There
is no other way. God's anointed King, the one
who actually rules, the one who actually reigns. Now, what do
you think of Him being the Christ? He said, are you the Christ?
He said, yes, I am. What do you think? What's your
opinion? What do you think of Him being
God's prophet? That means He is the Word of
God. All that God has to say is, Jesus
Christ, my son. That's his word. Do you find
the words of the Lord Jesus Christ... Here's how he described his own
words in John 6, 63. He said, the words that I speak to you,
they're spirit and they're life. Do you find his words to be spirit
and life? What do you think of Christ the
prophet? The Word of God. What do you
think of Christ as priest? Now your answer is seen in whether
or not you come to God by Him. Our Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but
by Me. I come to Him. He's the way to
God. He doesn't show me the way. He
Himself is the way. He doesn't tell me the truth. He is the
truth. He doesn't give me life. He is the life. That's my life.
I come before God in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
I prove what I think about his priesthood when I come into God's
presence only by him. No other way. What do you think
of him being God's king? The one who rules and reigns.
Do you say we'll not have this man to reign over us or do you
bow at his feet? What do you think of his kingship?
When God looks in your heart, what response does He see? When
God looks in my heart, what response does He see toward Jesus being
the Christ, God's anointed? The high priest said, Are you
the Son of the Blessed? In Matthew's account, in the
same thing, he said, Are you the Son of God? Remember what
that meant? Equality with God. If he's the
Son of God, that means he's equal with God. That means he is God. He said God was his Father, making
himself equal with God. Now what do you think? Do you
believe him to be the uncreated, eternal Son of God, having the
fullness of the Godhead dwelling in his body? Do you believe that
He's without earthly mother or father, without descent, without
having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like
unto the Son of God, abideth the high priest continually?
Do you believe this regarding Him? Do you believe He was the
one who said, let us make man in our own image? Do you believe
that's Jesus Christ speaking? What do you believe regarding
Him being the eternal Son of God? Now let's look back at our
text. Verse 62, Jesus said, I am. I am the Christ. I am God the
Son. I am. But he didn't stop there. He said, and you shall see. As a matter of fact, in Matthew's
account, it says hereafter you shall see. He's telling the future
at this time. He's telling exactly what's going to happen hereafter. You shall see the Son of Man
sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds
of heaven. Now the first thing I would notice
about our Lord at this time is He tells the future. Now you see me now and you see
me, you think, in your hands. But here's how you're going to
see me in not too long. You're going to see me seated
at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Now, how do you know that? You know, I can't say regarding
tomorrow anything that's for sure to happen. I can say, I'm
planning on this to happen, but I might be dead. Things might
change to where I can't make sure whatever I say regarding
the next second is going to take place. But our Lord can tell
exactly what's going to take place tomorrow. How? Because
He's ordained everything that's going to happen. He's in control
of the future. Everything that's going to happen
in the future is neither more nor less than what He's ordained
to happen. You see, He's God. He can tell
precisely what's going to take place in the future because He
is absolutely sovereign. Now what do you think about that?
The fact that Jesus Christ is absolutely sovereign and that
every event, whatever it is, it's up to Him as to what's going
to take place. You're in His hands. He can do with you whatever
He's pleased to do. You're in His hands. Now what
are your thoughts about that? What do you think about that?
What arises in your thoughts when you think about being utterly
in His hands? And He can do with you whatever
He's pleased to do. How do you respond to that? You know, there's
only two responses. You either love it or you hate
it. There's no in-between. What does
God see when He looks in your heart? And notice what else our
Lord says in verse 62. He says, I am and you shall see. He's telling the future. You
shall see the Son of Man sitting. Sitting. on the right hand of
power. Not standing, not pacing back
and forth, but sitting on the right hand of power. Now this
sitting at the right hand of power has reference to two things. First, he's sitting on the throne
because he has finished the work the Father gave him to do. That's
why he's sitting. There's nothing left for him
to do. He's sitting at the right hand of the Father. He's sitting
on a throne. It has to do with a finished
work, a completed work. Now let's look at Hebrews chapter
1 for a moment. I want to see what my response
is to him sitting at this throne. I want you to see what your response
is to this. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3. being the brightness of God's
glory and the express image of his person and upholding all
things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged
our sins. He sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. You know the reason he sat down?
Because the sins were purged. He sat down, having finished
his work. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 11. And every priest, talking about
the priests under the Old Testament economy, and every priest sitteth,
no, standeth. Daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
what did he do? He sat down on the right hand
of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Now I want you to listen to me
real carefully. When he said it is finished, that meant that the salvation
of the elect was accomplished. When he said it is finished,
the salvation of every single person that he died for was secured. Now in false religion, man is
the one who does the finishing. You think about it. God loves
everybody. Christ died for everybody. God wants to save everybody.
Made everybody's salvation possible. Christ died for your sins. But
it's up to you to put the Final deal on it. You've got to finish
it. You've got to accept him or reject him. If you accept
him, that means his blood will work for you. But if you reject
him, his blood won't work for you. In false religion, man is
the finisher. Man is the closer. But in the
truth, Christ Jesus the Lord finished salvation. Everybody
that he died for must be saved. Not only they must be saved,
they are saved. Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
When He sat down, He sat down because He did save His people
from their sins. That's what He did. Now what's
your response to this? What is in your thoughts regarding
this? What does God see when He looks
in your heart when you hear of this Mighty Savior setting down,
having finished the work of salvation. What is in your heart? Now, there's
only one of two responses. You either hate this or you love
it. There's no in-between, no neutral
gown. You either hate this or you love
it. Now, you hate it if your hope
before God is in you. If it's in your work, some way,
something you do, you're gonna hate this because it's taking
away what you hope in. And so, you hate, you know, that's taking
away my hope. But, if you are a sinner, a real sinner who is
really and truly evil before God, and you deserve to be damned,
if that's who you are, you're gonna find hope. In this message,
this is hope for the chief of sinners. What is your response
to him setting down, having finished his work? What is in your thoughts?
What do you think of this? And I love the way it says, he
sits down at the right hand of power. The power of Christ. What do
you think of his power? Now what's meant by that? When
we talk about the power of Christ, it says he Hereafter, here's
what you're going to see. You're going to see the Son of
Man sitting down at the right hand of power. What is meant
by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ? I love to think of when
Pilate is before the Lord. And the Lord's not saying anything.
He was silent before the high priest. Here he is silent before
Pilate. Pilate says, Answer, Thou not. Don't you know how
I am? Don't you know that I have power
to? Release you and I have power
to crucify you? I love the Lord's answer to it.
Thou couldst have no power at all over me, except it be given
thee from above. Oh, the power of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He said all power. is given to
me in heaven and in earth. Power is the strength to do.
Isn't that what it is? Power is the strength to do. Now his will would be meaningless
if he didn't have the power to make sure his will came to pass. He is declared in Romans 1-4
to be the Son of God with power, ability, Might. He's all-powerful. Now what do you think of when
you think of His power? What thoughts arise in your mind
and in your heart? He has power over the creation. He could say, Sun, stop shining! And the sun stopped shining.
He could say, Sun, quit moving! And the sun quits moving. He
could say to the raging wind and storm and seas, Peace, be
still! And there was a great calm. He
has power over the demons. Do you know the demons? The thought
of demons has scared me to death. Do you believe in demons? Sure
I do. I don't know much about them, but I know this. I know
I'm scared of them, but I know they're more afraid of the Lord
Jesus Christ than I am of them. And I know that they couldn't
make a move. They couldn't move from one place to another without
asking Him first. Suffer us to go into that herd
of swine. And He suffered, then He allowed
them. He has power over angels. They're all waiting to do His
will. He has power over all men. Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou
hast given Him. He has power on earth to forgive
sin. He has power on earth to cast
into hell. Now what do you think of His
power? Oh, the power of Jesus Christ. He's omnipotent. He's
seated, having finished His work, and He's seated at the right
hand of power. Now, what's your response to
that? What are your thoughts? Do you love this? Or do you hate
it? Do you hate this? Or do you see
this as your only hope of salvation? His power. You come into His
presence just like that leopard did. Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. That word, can, you have the
power, if you will. If it's in your sovereign will,
you can say, be clean and I'll be clean. That leper believed
the Lord really had the power to do that. Do you believe the
Lord has the power to make you clean? Make you holy and pure
and without sin? What do you think of His power? Look what it says next in our
text. Turn back to Mark 14. Now, the stuff I'm talking about,
everybody listening knows it's true. You know, I believe the
truth has such power that when people hear it, they know it's
true. They may not like it, but they know it's true. You know
that I'm telling you the truth, don't you? You know I am. Now,
what are your thoughts? What are your opinions? Look,
what he says in Mark chapter 14, verse 62, 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 as Lord of lords and
King of kings. You're going to see the Son of
Man coming. You know, He came first as a suffering Lamb. He
comes next as a mighty, ruling, reigning lion. Lord's coming. He's coming back. Things are
not going to remain as they are. He's going to burn this place
up. All the works of the flesh, they're going to be burned up.
He's coming again. What do you think? Are you glad? Can you say with John even so
come Lord Jesus? Are you glad? Now the only way
you can truly be glad at His coming is if you can have some
boldness at the thought of His coming. And what is my boldness? My boldness is believing He finished
the work and that my salvation is accomplished by what He did. It doesn't have anything to do
with my works, it's what He did. I really believe that. I believe that
when Jesus Christ sat down, my salvation, my perfect acceptance
with God was accomplished. And I love it. That's my thoughts.
That's my thoughts. I love it. I'm thankful. What
are your thoughts regarding His second coming? Now let me tell
you what I really think about this. I'm going to use this as
a platform. Let me tell you what I think. He's the Christ. He's God's anointed prophet. And I love His Word. He's God's
anointed priest. And I come to the Father by Him.
It's not me coming pleading Him. It's Him coming to the Father
and me coming in Him. I'm united to Him. I love Him
as my priest. I love him as King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. I'm glad. You know, the natural
man says, we will not have this man to reign over us. I say reign
over me in every aspect. Reign over me. I love his kingship. He's my Lord. What about him sitting? Have
him finish the work. That gives me such confidence.
That gives me such security. He finished my salvation. I'm
already saved. Somebody says, I'm as sure for
heaven as if I'm already there. I'm surer than that. I'm already
there in the person of my representative, seated at the right hand of the
Father. I love His finished work. I love His power. I love it just like that leopard
did. I find my salvation in His power. Lord, if You will, You
can make me clean. And I love the thought of his
return. I know he's going to return.
And I love it. Now, what is your opinion? What
are your thoughts? I'm not asking you to stand up
and tell me. But I am saying this. God knows what's in your
heart. He sees. What your thoughts are
is what you really are. What are your thoughts concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ? What God thinks of you. If you want to know how God views
you, what God thinks of you is seen directly in what you think
of His dear Son. What do you think? Don't try
to hide by saying, well, I just don't know. Even that answer,
I don't know, tells what you think. You think it's not important
enough for you to find out. You're either for the Lord Jesus
Christ or you are against Him? Where are you at? Who is on the Lord's side? That's
what Moses said. We say, is the Lord on my side?
No. The question is not, is He on your side? Are you on His
side? Who is on the Lord's side? What think ye of Christ? Let's pray together.