Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I'm preaching from Mark chapter
15. I want to read verse 39. And when the centurion, which
stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, he said, truly,
this man was the Son of God." I've entitled this message, Truly,
This Man Was the Son of God. When I attempt to prepare a message,
there are three things that are always before me. Number one,
I always want to do my best. I want to give due diligence
and study in prayer and seeking a message from the Lord. Secondly,
I want to make sure any message I preach, somebody that doesn't
know the way of salvation, is not going to leave after hearing
that message, not having heard the way of salvation. I want
to preach the gospel every time I preach. And thirdly, any message
I bring, I would like to be satisfied that if this was the last message
I ever preached, I'd be okay with it. I hope this morning's
message is that. Now, these are the words, surely
this man was the Son of God. These were the words of the man
who presided over the crucifixion, a Roman centurion. And there
were two things that made him or caused him to make this confession
with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ. When he was crucifying
Him or presiding over this crucifixion, He did not know that He was the
Son of God. He now knows who He is. How is that? Well, number one,
revelation. How was it that Peter knew that
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God? Well, the
Lord tells us after Peter made that confession, blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, flesh and blood hath not revealed this
to thee, but my Father which is in heaven. If you really believe
that Jesus is the Son of God, equal with God, God the Son,
possessing all of the attributes of God. Colossians 2.9 says,
In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Now, if in your heart you really
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God revealed
that to you. You didn't figure that out. You
would have never known had he not made it known. And secondly,
this man concluded he was the Son of God by the things that
he heard and the things that he saw. Now, he'd heard the seven
sayings of the Savior from the cross. When the Scripture says,
when he saw that he so cried out, he had cried, it is finished. That is what he heard, but he
heard all seven of the sayings of the Savior from the cross.
The Scripture says he saw him so cry out. No man had ever cried
out like this man. Truly, this man, in Luke's account,
was a righteous man. The servant, or the centurion,
called the Lord Jesus Christ a righteous man. Now, this is
very significant. In the original, the definite
article is used. Not a righteous man, but the
righteous man. If I say a Lord, that means one
Lord among many. But if I say the Lord, I'm speaking
of the only Lord. He is the righteous man. He's the only righteous man to
ever live. Now God the Holy Spirit has both
of those things recorded. Surely this is the Son of God.
Surely this is the righteous man. This man was confessing
both the deity and the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags, Isaiah says. That's me and that's you. But
this is the only righteous man to ever live. Now, let's not
forget who this man was that made this confession. A Roman
centurion. the head over 100 soldiers, and
crucifying criminals who had committed crimes against the
state of Rome was his job. He did this for a living, crucify
so many and get back home in time for dinner with the wife
and kids. This was his job, to crucify criminals against the
Roman government. And he presided over many crucifixions. And you can be sure that he'd
become very desensitized towards such a horrible and gruesome
death. It meant very little to him. Now, I don't know what participation
he had in the actual crucifixion, but he was the man who presided
over it. He is the man who directed everyone
else what to do. Did he participate in the mocking? Perhaps, but I want us to notice
that in our text it says, and when the centurion which stood
over against him. That doesn't mean simply that
he was very close to him by way of proximity. It means he was
contrary to him. That is why, that is the way
the word is generally translated. He was contrary to him. He was
against him. He did not believe his claims. He had contempt for the Son of
God. But something truly miraculous
took place. All of a sudden, he knows who
this is. Just a few minutes before, he
didn't. But now he does. Now this is no less miraculous
than the thief. When the thief was first nailed
to the cross, he didn't know who the Lord Jesus Christ really
was. The scripture says he was reviling him and railing on him
just like the other thief was. But all of a sudden, He knows
who he is. He's the Lord. He's God. He's the man who has never sinned. He's the one who's coming back
as a mighty reigning king. The thief now knows who Jesus
Christ is. And my dear friends, that's what
saving faith is. It's knowing who he is. This Roman centurion now knows
who he is." Now, I think of what must have gone through that man's
thoughts. I have no doubt he was stunned
by the silence of Christ, the majesty of His silence. He was
stunned by the majesty of His person. He'd never seen strength
like this before. He was amazed by his death. You
know, the scripture says that he gave up the ghost. He permitted death to take him.
No man has ever done that, but this man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When death comes, we can't say no, but the Lord could if he
wanted to, and death couldn't take him unless he permitted
it to take place. And this man was stunned by all
this. And don't forget, this man was
there when the sun quit shining, as Christ hung on the cross.
He felt the earthquake and the rocks rent, and Matthew's account
says he feared greatly. awed by the majesty of this one
hanging on the cross. And this fear is not the fear,
slavish fear of torment. This is the fear of God. That's
the beginning of wisdom. Luke said he glorified God when
he made this confession. He went from being a hardened
centurion one who crucified people for a living, to someone who
feared and glorified God. My dear friend, I want to be
one of those people, don't you? Somebody who truly has the fear
of God, the awe and respect of Him, and someone who glorifies
Him. He said, truly, this man was
the Son of God. This man now knew who Jesus of
Nazareth really was. Now, this is the Son that Isaiah
spoke of. When he said in Isaiah 9, verse
6, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. That son is the eternal son. And the government shall be upon
his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Now this is the son that Nebuchadnezzar
saw in the fiery furnace. You can read about this in Daniel
chapter 3, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to
bow before the king's idol, king Nebuchadnezzar's idol, were thrown
bound into a fiery furnace. And Nebuchadnezzar looked in
the fiery furnace and he said, did we not throw three men into
the fire? And they said, yes, King. And
he said, lo, I see four men, loose and walking, and the fourth,
his form is likened to the Son of God. He saw God the Son walking
with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, and they
were loose and unharmed when they came out. They didn't even
have the smell of smoke on them. Why? Because they were with the
Son of God. Somebody says, well, how did
Nebuchadnezzar know? He was the Son of God, same way you and
I would know He was the Son of God. God revealed Him to him. He revealed who He really was. Now, what is the issue of Christ
being the Son of God? Let me read a passage from John
5, verse 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father
worketh hitherto. and I work." Now he's speaking
of his unity with the Father. The Father works, I do the same
thing he does. That's what he's saying. Now
let's go on reading in verse 18. And before I read this, remember
when the Lord said, you believe in God, believe also in me. Do
you believe God's all-powerful? Believe that concerning me. Do
you believe God is sovereign? Believe that concerning me. Do
you believe God is immutable? He can't change? Believe that
concerning me. All that God is, He is. My Father worketh hitherto, and
I work. Therefore the Jews sought them
more to kill him, because not only had he broken the Sabbath,
but he also said that God was his Father, making himself equal
with God." Now, there's the issue of him being the son of God.
He is equal with God. Now, if I said, I am equal with
God, it would be utterly blasphemous, and I should never be listened
to again. But when he said it, he was saying
the truth. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God as a distinct person, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. He is the eternal I Am, the Son
of man, the Son of Mary, the Son of God. I love it when the Lord posed
this question, what think ye of Christ? whose son is he?"
Well, they answered, he's the son of David. And then the Lord
replied, why did David in spirit call him Lord? Saying, the Lord
said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thy
foes thy footstool. At the announcement of his birth,
it was said to Mary, that holy thing that shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God. The only record we have of his
youth He says, wish ye not that I must be about my father's business. He identifies himself when he's
12 years old as the son of the father. At the beginning of his
public ministry, when he was baptized, there came a voice
from heaven, the voice of the father. This is My Beloved Son,
hear ye Him." And at that very time, God the Holy Spirit descended
down in the form of a dove, lighting upon the Lord Jesus Christ to
confirm what the Father said. He had the Spirit without measure
as the Son of God. I think of when He appeared to
Peter and James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. And
at that time, the scripture says, his face shined as the sun, his
deity burst through his humanity, and they were stunned. And Peter
makes what could arguably call the most stupid statement ever
made by a human being. When he saw the Son of God, and
he said, let's make three tabernacles. One for you, one for Moses, one
for Elijah. He was putting Moses and Elijah,
who appeared at that time speaking to the Lord, on the same plane
as the Lord Jesus Christ. And at that time a bright cloud
overshadowed them, and a voice came from heaven, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye Him. You know, the man possessed with
a demon knew. What have I to do with thee,
thou Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee, torment
me not." He didn't even suspect that the Lord would have mercy
on him. Now, the Lord saved this man, but he saw who he was, the
Son of the Most High God. Now, every man, even this demon-possessed
man, if God saves somebody, they know who he is. He is the Son
of the Most High God. When he was walking on the water
during that storm, the scripture says he entered into the ship,
and all of a sudden there was a great calm. What was the disciple's conclusion to that? Of a truth. Thou art the Son of God. He did what only God could do.
He controlled the weather. Only God can control the weather.
He brought matter into existence, which had not been in the universe
before. He did that in the feeding of
the 5,000. It's said that there can't be new matter. If he makes
it, there is. He's the creator. He could raise
the dead. He could read minds. He could do what only God could
do. He proved that. He raised himself
from the dead. Now, when he refused to let them
make him king in John 6, they thought, let's take him by force
and make him king. The Lord didn't need their affirmation,
and he left them. He's not going to have any man
make him king. When people say, won't you make
Jesus the Lord of your life? I think, how ridiculous. You
make him Lord? He is Lord. He's your Lord. He's the Lord. That's who he is. You don't make
him king. He is king of kings. He is Lord
of lords, that's who he is. So he left that crowd and then
he preached a message. You can read it in John chapter
six, where after he preached that message, everyone listening
left him. They said, we don't want this.
He looked at the 12 and he said, will you also go away? And Peter
replied, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. And then you'll remember
in Matthew chapter 16, where he said, whom do men say that
I am? And they put him in some pretty
high cotton. Some say Jeremiah, or Elijah, or one of the prophets.
They didn't realize when they were doing that, they were just
being derogatory toward the Lord Jesus Christ. To compare him
to any man is derogatory to him. And then the Lord said, Whom
say ye that I am? And Peter said, Thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord said, Blessed
art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, flesh and blood, hath not revealed
this unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. And I say
unto you, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock, this confession
of me, who He is, the Christ, the Son of the living God, upon
this rock shall I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it." Here, God, the Father's testimony concerning
His Son. And again, when He bringeth the
firstborn into the world, He saith, and let all the angels
of God worship Him. That's what God says to the angels.
And then he says in verse 8, but unto the Son he saith, the
Father saith, this is what the Father says to the Son, but unto
the Son he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness. is
the scepter of thy kingdom, thou hast loved righteousness and
hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
What was it that Satan tempted to deny? If you're the son of
God. He said that three times. if
you're the Son of God. Prove it. Now, what this Roman
centurion confessed at this time, truly, surely, certainly, this
was the Son of God. He confessed, number one, the
content of saving faith, number two, the content of the gospel,
and number three, the content of true preaching. Number one,
he confessed the content of saving faith. Now let me make that good.
In Acts chapter eight, the Ethiopian eunuch had heard Philip preach
the gospel, and they came to water. And he said, see, here's
water. What does hinder me from being
baptized? And Philip said, if you believe
with all your heart, you may. And he said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Now, if you believe he's God
the Son, everything else becomes obvious. He believed that Jesus
Christ is God the Son. He didn't say, I believe I'm
saved or I believe I'm one of the elect. He didn't say, I believe
I've been born again. He didn't say, I can look at
my life and see how much it's changed and conclude that God
must have saved me because the change I see in my life. He said
nothing of that sort. He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Now, my dear friends, that is
saving faith, believing who he is. You see, if you believe who
he is, everything else becomes obvious. This is where we begin.
Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Christ, the Son of
the living God. Now, this confession is the content
of the gospel. I want to read a passage of scripture
in Romans chapter 1, where Paul said, Paul, a servant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of
God, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures
concerning his Son. Jesus Christ, our Lord, which
was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh, and declared
to be the Son of God, according to the spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection of the dead. Now you know what makes known
that Christ is the Son of God? He's the only holy man to ever
live. The Spirit of holiness. What
demonstrates to us that Christ is the Son of God? His resurrection
from the dead. He really was raised from the
dead because He did what the Father told Him to do. He saved
His people from their sins. When He was raised from the dead,
God said, I am completely satisfied with what He did. You see, everything
is predicated on who He is. Now, if he is who he said he
is, whatever he intended to do, he did. All of the gospel is
predicated on who he is. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I've committed to him against that day. His person is so glorious
that when we see him as he is, will be made like Him." That's
how glorious this person is. John said, we know that when
He shall appear, will be like him, for we shall see him as
he is. Who he is is the content of the
gospel. And thirdly, this is the content
of true preaching. Now let me show you this in 2
Corinthians 1, Paul makes this statement in verse 18. He says, but as God is true,
our word Our preaching, that's the word, our preaching toward
you was not yea and nay, for the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay. But to him was yea, for all the
promises of God in him are yea. And amen to the glory of God. Paul said, the Son of God who
was preached to you by us. He is our message. who he is. Now he said, we didn't
preach him as yea, nay. Somebody says, well, if Christ
died for you, is that enough to save you? Well, yes, it is.
But no, if you don't accept him, it won't save you. That's yea,
nay. That's speaking out on both sides of your mouth. That is
false. All the promises of God in him
are yea and amen. He is incapable of failure. If he saves you, you're saved. Now unto him that's able to keep
you from falling and to present you faultless before his presence
with exceeding joy. What a glorious Savior he is,
God the Son. Now listen to me, just like that
Roman centurion, I really do believe Truly, this man was the
Son of God. We have this message on DVD and
CD. If you call the church, write
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will reveal Himself to you. Amen. To receive a copy of the
sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.nyberg at
gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen. Hmm.