Why did you Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 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 Nibert. In Matthew chapter 22, the Pharisees
asked the Lord a series of three questions regarding government,
eschatology, or the study of the end times, what will take
place at the end, and the law. And after that, he asked them
a question. beginning in verse forty one
of Matthew chapter twenty two while the Pharisees were gathered
together Jesus asked them saying what think ye of Christ whose
son is he they say unto him the son of David he sayeth unto them
How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord
said unto my Lord, Sit thou at 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 a word. Neither dares to any man from
that day forth ask him any more questions. Question. What do you think of
Christ? You have an opinion. You may
think he's a phony. You may think he is a great king,
a great man, a great prophet. You may think he's God. What
do you think of Christ? What God thinks of you is seen
in your answer to that question. What do you think of his son? I want to repeat this statement. I want you to listen to it very
carefully. What God thinks of you, personally,
is seen in what you think of His Son. What think ye of Christ? That is the most important question
that you'll ever hear or ever have to deal with. What do you
think of Christ. Now before you answer that question
what I would like for us to do is consider what men and God
and demons and angels said of him in the Bible. And the first
thing I would like for us to consider before you answer that
question about what you think of Christ and like I said you
have an opinion of him and God knows what that opinion is. But
first, I'd like to conduct some interviews with some other people
and see what they thought of the Lord Jesus Christ. And first,
I'd like to conduct an interview with His enemies. What did they
say concerning Him? What about the Pharisees? The
Pharisees are the representatives of human religion. The word Pharisee
means separated ones. They believed that something
they did separated them from other men. They believed in salvation
by works, something that they did. And they were very religious,
very moral men, very studious with regard to the scriptures.
What did they say? of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
I have no doubt, as I'm speaking, don't think of the Pharisees
as somebody way back then. I'm speaking to Pharisees right
now. It's the natural religion of us all. I'm by nature a Pharisee. I was born into this world a
Pharisee, and you are too. Someone who thinks that there's
something they can do that can separate them from other people
and recommend them to God. What did the Pharisees say about
the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, listen to this. This man
receiveth sinners. Speaking of Christ, and they
said this in contempt, this man receiveth sinners and eateth
with them. Oh, what they used as a slam. I'm so thankful for that. It's
true. This man, the Lord Jesus Christ, really does receive sinners. They said, Behold, a gluttonous
man and a wine-bibber, the friend of publicans and sinners. How
thankful I am that He truly is the sinner's friend. They said,
At His crucifixion, His blood be upon us and our children.
We'll take responsibility for this. Oh, that's my prayer. May His blood be upon me and
my children. They said in derision while he
hung from the cross, he saved others. Himself he cannot save. Never truer statement has ever
been made. He couldn't save himself if he
was going to save somebody else. He died as the sinner's substitute. What about the words of Pilate,
the one who condemned him? His wife had said previously,
have nothing to do with that just person for I have suffered
many things in a dream because of him. What did Pilate say with
regard to him? He said, I find in him no fault
at all. And then he wrote the accusation
over the cross, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. That's what Pilate thought of
him. Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. What about the words
of Caiaphas, the high priest, during his trial? He didn't realize
that he was speaking under inspiration, but he said to his cronies, Know
ye nothing at all, nor consider it expedient for us that one
man should die for the people, that the whole nation perish
not. Now, he didn't know what he was
saying, but the scripture says, This said he not of himself,
but being the high priest, He prophesied that Jesus should
die for the nation. What about the Roman centurion
who was presiding over the crucifixion of Christ and giving the orders
regarding driving the nails in his hands and feet and the spear
being thrust in his side? When he saw the sun darkened
and the earthquake and he heard the words of the Lord, it is
finished, he said, surely this man was the son of God. What about the angels? We talked
about his enemies. What did the angels say of the
Lord Jesus? Those creatures, they're created
beings, greater in power and might than we are. the cherubim,
the seraphim, but what did the angels say regarding the Lord
Jesus Christ? What did they think? The angels
said to Mary, Hail, thou art highly favored among men. Behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name Jesus, He shall be great. He shall be called the Son of
the Highest, and the Lord shall give him the throne of his father
David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and
ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. They said, That
holy thing that's born of thee shall be called the Son of God. After he was risen, they said,
Why seek ye him that liveth among the dead? Behold, he is not here,
he is risen. Oh, as the Lord was hanging from
the cross, the angels were waiting for a commandment from the Father
to come and smite the people that were crucifying him. They knew who he was. We know how highly they knew
him. What about the demons? You know,
there is a demonic world. I'm glad I know very little about
it. And I don't want to know much about it. I would rather
be shielded from that. But there is a demonic world.
There really is a devil. And there really are demons. What do they think of Christ? Listen to these words. They said,
let us alone. What have we? to do with thee,
Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us before
the time? I know thee who thou art, the
Holy One of God. What have we to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Son of God? What connection is there between
us and you? Art thou come to torment us before
the time? And the devils also came out
of many, crying, Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, for they
knew He was Christ. You know, the devils believe,
the Scripture says, and they tremble. They have a high view
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They may not love Him, but they
know who He is. I want to say this reverently.
I want to say everything I say reverently. I hope I do. But
what does the Father have to say concerning His blessed Son? What does God, the creator of
the universe, God, the one who's in control, the almighty, omnipotent,
all-knowing God, what does He have to say concerning His Son? Well, when the Lord rose from
the waters of baptism, A voice came from heaven, this is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased. That's God the Father's
testimony again. What about on the Mount of Transfiguration
where the Lord's divinity literally burst through his humanity and
the scripture says his face shined as the sun and his raiment became
white as light. Peter and James and John were
up there with him. And we know that at that time on the man
of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah. Moses, the representative
of the law. Elijah, the representative of
the prophets, stood there and spake with him. And we know what
they were talking about too. Luke 9, 31 says they spake of
the deceased, which he should accomplish. And Peter couldn't,
he didn't know what to say. He said, Lord, it's good for
us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, one
for Moses, one for Elijah. And then a bright cloud came
down and overshadowed all of them and a voice came from the
cloud. This is my beloved son in whom
I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And then they rose
up and saw no man save Jesus only. We're not going to make
a tabernacle for Moses and Elijah. They're just men. Hear ye him. I think of what he said in Hebrews
chapter 1, unto the Son he saith, this is God the Father speaking,
unto the Son he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever. That's what the Father says to
the Son. Thy throne, O God, is forever. 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 about the forerunner, John the Baptist? What did he have
to say? Do you know he's the only man other than the Lord
Jesus Christ that was actually prophesied of in the Old Testament?
He's the one of whom Christ said, of them born of women, there's
risen none greater than John the Baptist. What did he say
concerning this one, the Lord Jesus Christ? He said, behold,
the Lamb of God, the Lamb of God's providing, which taketh
away the sin of the world. He said, he must increase and
I must decrease. He said, the Father loveth the
Son. and have given all things into his hand. He that hath the
Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath
not life, but the wrath of God abides on him." It's there to
stay. And what about the four evangelists,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who give us all that he's pleased
to know about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ? All of them
had something to say regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, and they
all believed the same thing. They were all equally inspired,
but each one gives a different emphasis. Matthew, the sovereign
king, Mark, the servant, Luke, the savior, and John, the eternal
son of God. What do you think? Matthew is
the sovereign king of the universe, in control of everything and
everybody. What about you, Mark? He's the
servant, the servant of God. The Son of Man came not to be
ministered to, but to minister and to give His life a ransom
for many. What do you think, Luke? He's
the Savior. He's the only way a sinner can
be saved. He's the Savior of sinners. Sovereign
Savior. John, what do you think? He's
the Eternal I Am, the Son of God, the Mighty Creator of the
Universe, all giving a different emphasis but saying the same
things regarding this One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I ask
again, what do you think of Christ? What are your thoughts concerning
Him? What does God see when He sees what you think of the Lord
Jesus Christ? I think of Peter. What do you
think, Peter? What do you think, Peter? Peter
was a special disciple. But do you know when the Lord
first made Himself known to Peter, and He was made to see that this
was not simply a man? This is a You know what his response
was when he saw the Lord cause the fish to be filled up in the
ship when they'd been fishing all night and caught nothing
and the Lord caused something to happen and he saw his deity
at that time? You know what his response was? Depart from me,
O Lord. I'm a sinful man. You don't want
to have anything to do with the likes of me. What a response
of humility. What do you think? How would
you line up with Peter? Who can forget the words of John?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. The law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, the sole representative
of the divine being and the only representative of the divine
being. And we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace. and truth. Can we possibly forget
the words of Thomas, the doubting disciple? You can remember that
he said, except I see in his hand the print of the nails and
put my finger in the print of the nails and thrust my hand
in his side, I will not believe. He was the one disciple that
was not there when the Lord first made himself known after the
resurrection. But he's there the second time. And the Lord
says to him, Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hand,
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it in my sight, and be
not faithless, but believing. And you know what Thomas' response
was? My Lord and my God. That's what Thomas thought when
the Lord made himself known to him, that he's the Lord. He's
the absolute Lord of all and He is God. Here's something I
love to say, Jesus is God. That's exactly who He is. He's
the God of glory. He's the mighty Creator. Thomas
knew Him to be so. Jesus is God. I think of what
the Lord said to The disciples, whom say men that I the son of
man am? And they said, well, they say
good things. Some say you're Elijah or one of the prophets.
They put you in some high cotton. And he said, whom say ye that
I am? And Peter answered as the spokesman for all the disciples.
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Thou art the
Christ, God's prophet, God's priest, God's king, God's anointed. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God, the eternal Son The son spoken of in Isaiah
chapter 9 verse 6 when it says, unto us a child is born and unto
us a son is given. That son wasn't born, that son's
eternal. And upon his, and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Here's a sampling of the thoughts
of the men and women that he healed and saved. I think of
that leper. who came to him and worshiped. You know you'll only
worship a sovereign, one in whose hands you are. You can't control
him. You can't manipulate him. He
came into the Lord's presence and worshiped, saying, Lord,
if you will, You can make me clean. He recognized the supremacy
of his sovereign will, if you will, and he recognized his ability. You can make me clean. And I
love the Lord's answer to him. I will be thou clean. I think of the Roman centurion,
speak the word only. and my servant shall be healed."
You don't have to go heal him and move geographically to get
to his place. You're God. You have absolute
authority. All you have to do is speak the
Word only. And my servant shall be healed.
I think of the Syro-Phoenician woman. She said, Jesus, our son
of David, have mercy upon me. And he answered her, not a word.
And she continued to cry. And he said, I'm not sinned but
of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and
worshipped him. Came she and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, help me. He said, it's not fit to take
the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. He's telling this
woman, you're a dog. You don't deserve any of my favor. And you know how she answered?
She didn't get mad and turn around. She said, that's the truth, Lord.
That's the truth. But I'm your dog. And the dogs
eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table. I'll be
grateful for any crumbs of mercy that come my way. I think of
the thief on the cross. He said to his friend beside
him, don't you fear God? He believed Jesus Christ to be
God. Don't you fear God seeing we're in the same inn and we
indeed justly, we're getting what we deserve, but this man
had done nothing amiss. He believed in the sinlessness
of Christ. And then he said, Even when he saw him on the cross,
he believed in his absolute lordship. Remember me when you come in
your kingdom. You're not going to stay dead.
You're going to succeed in whatever you do. Oh, Lord, remember me
when you come into your kingdom. Now, we wouldn't do well in thinking
about what other people said about him if we didn't think
about what Paul the apostle said about him. I think of Paul on
the road to Damascus getting ready to kill some Christians
and a blinding light appears before him. Brightness of the
sun and knocks him off his horse. He says who art thou Lord? He
said I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecuted Persecutors and
he said Lord He now knows who he is Lord. What wilt thou have
me to do? There's no higher view than this
when he said he is the blessed and only potentate the Lord of
Lords and the king of kings who only hath immortality dwelling
in the life that no man can approach to, whom no man hath seen nor
can see, to whom be power and glory everlasting." That's what
he thought of the Lord. Listen to these words. He says,
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom Paul
said, I am, not I was, but I am the chief. That's what Paul thought
of the Lord. And let me give you just a small
sampling of some of the things Christ said about himself. And the scripture says, he thought
it not robbery to be equal with God. Now, if I said I was equal
with God, I'd be a liar. But when he said, I'm equal with
God, he said, he that has seen me has seen the Father. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. When they said, you're not yet
50 years old, and you say you've seen Abraham and saw his day,
he said, before Abraham was, I am. I am the way, not a way,
the way, the only way. I am the truth, not I'll tell
you the truth, I am the truth. I am the life, not so much I'll
give you the life, but I am the life. No man cometh to the Father,
but by me. And the things he said concerning
himself, he is either, now listen to me real carefully, he's either
who he said he was, the absolute God of glory, the one who's in
absolute control, God the Son, the God-man. He's either who
He said He was or He's the greatest imposter to ever live. Now, what
do you think of Christ? Now, let me tell you what I think
of Christ before you answer that question. I think He's altogether
lovely. I think He's David's son. and David's Lord, the great I
Am. I think He's the only Savior
of sinners. He's my Lord. He's my God. He's my husband. He's my friend. He's my Savior. He's my all in
all. That's what Paul said in Colossians
chapter 3 verse 11. Christ is all. Now what do you think of Christ. After hearing these interviews
with so many different people, what do you think of Christ? And let me break it down to this
thing of Christ. What think ye of Christ? Christ
means the anointed. It's the Greek word for the Messiah,
and it represents his offices. His offices as prophet, priest,
and king. What do you think of him as God's
prophet, the very Word of God. When God speaks, what comes out
of His, for lack of a better word, mouth? Jesus Christ the
Lord. He is the Word of God. Now, what do you think of Him
being the prophet who manifests God? What are your thoughts?
What does God see rolling through your mind when you think of Him
as being the Word of God? He's God's priest. He's prophet,
priest, and king. What do you think of his priesthood?
What do you think of his sacrifice? What do you think of the power
of his blood? Do you believe his blood is enough
to make you perfect before God without any help or contribution
from you? What do you think of his intercession?
Do you think that if he represents you to the Father that you can't
be turned away? Do you need him as your great
high priest to bring you into the Father's presence? You can't
come on your own. You wouldn't dare come on your own. The only
way you'll come is through Christ. What do you think of his priesthood?
Is it the only way you dare approach God? What do you think of his
kingship? The fact that He's King, that
He's Lord, that He rules and controls everything. Everything
and everybody is in His hands. He's in absolute control. He's
the absolute sovereign of the universe. And you need, what
do you think of that? I'll tell you what I think of
it. I think I need him in that capacity to cause me to believe,
to give me life, to cause me to do his will. You see, the
king's will is done, and I ask him as a mighty king to do for
me what I can't do for myself. Oh, how we love his office as
prophet, the revealer of God. How we love his office as priest,
the one who brings us into God's presence and causes us to be
accepted. How we love his office of king. ruling and controlling,
causing us to do His will and believe His gospel. What think
ye of Christ? Now remember, you've got an opinion,
and what God thinks of you is seen in what you think of Christ. What do you think of Christ? To request a copy of the sermon
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