What think ye of Christ? (Quality: Average)

[0:00] I desire your attention to the chapter, or the part of the chapter we read, the 22nd chapter of Matthew's Gospel, and those words that are found in verse 42.

[0:19] The 22nd chapter of the Gospel is recorded by Matthew, and those five words from verse 42.

[0:30] What think ye of Christ? The verse reads, saying, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ?

[0:45] Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. I read those words from the 15th verse because of the opposition that the Lord Jesus had to his preaching and to his pathway, and also, of course, to his very presence as the Son of God on earth.

[1:18] In those verses, 31 verses, 32 verses that we read, first the Pharisees took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

[1:34] And then, in the same day, came the Sadducees to reason with Christ. And then, at the last, but when the Pharisees had heard that he'd put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together, and one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempted him.

[1:58] How often they opposed the truth that was declared of Christ. Would not receive it?

[2:08] Would not receive it. Their hearts were hard. Their eyes were closed to the person of Christ. Though they owned him as a good man, as we sung in the hymn, though they could not understand his preaching, nor they owned that he was a good man.

[2:31] The Sadducees, if you remember, was, or was it the Pharisees, one of them, they came and benevolently spoke to him, the Pharisees.

[2:46] We know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Devious ways, of which they would try, if they thought they could, ensnare the Saviour in what he says.

[3:07] How devious are the enemies of the truth. They don't all show themselves as simply opposing the truth.

[3:18] They worm the way in, as it were, to try to trip the Saviour up in his words. But they were dealing with the Son of God. And in the verses that we have, in the 41st verse, it was the other way round.

[3:38] While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, what think ye of Christ? Christ. It's a very important question.

[3:51] Without taking note of the hymns that we've sung, which is based on the text, I find it's a very important question.

[4:01] I've said it often enough here, I believe. But it always takes me back to a little chapel in Kent. One occasion, I don't know what it was, it must have been a weekday.

[4:16] We was in the Lord's. It must have been an anniversary or something. I think it was a Saturday afternoon. A dear old saint of God, long gone to glory, who I often refer to.

[4:27] Old man he was, he preached till he was 93. And he gave this text out, what think ye of Christ? And it was his mode, if that's the right word to use.

[4:43] The manner that he preached, he used to give the text out and then he used to pause. And the first thing he used to say often set him up for the preaching of that text.

[4:56] And that sermon followed so sweetly and blessedly. Well, on that occasion he did his usual matter. He paused and all was silent.

[5:08] And he said, what you and I think of Christ determines our eternal destination. And I've never forgot it. Never forgot it.

[5:20] My friends, and that still remains true today, what think ye of Christ? This is the measure that you may use.

[5:31] I say it often enough. I hope you understand my concern, my burden. But this is the measure that you can measure your religion. This is the measure that you can apply to your experience, to your desires, your hopes, your exercises.

[5:50] This is the measure that you can apply to the supplications and prayers that you lay before the Lord constantly.

[6:01] The person of Christ. It's not as if one would say, now, as it is in some denominations, you must learn the doctrines from A to Z.

[6:15] You must be fluent in the doctrines. You must be able to explain them, understand them, and declare a truth and hold to them and walk by them before you can be, as it were, accepted as a person whom the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died for.

[6:39] My friend, this is a bedrock truth of a question. And everything rests on this question. Everything rests on it, my friends, because of how you can answer it and what you would say of it and whom you've been taught by so that you've arrived at that answer.

[7:01] What a solemn question it is to us. What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? But these five words have been with me since yesterday sometime.

[7:17] I got to a point last night before I went to preach, I didn't know which text I was going to preach from. I had two texts and I didn't know which one to take but it all cleared up in the end and I preached from another word.

[7:36] So I trust that this is the word for us. You'll never be offended, I don't believe. A true believer will not be offended by the question.

[7:48] The Pharisees asked according to their knowledge and they would of course quote a chapter and verse of the Old Testament and would have said, well he's the son of Jesse.

[8:02] David's son yet David's Lord. But my friends, that won't do. That won't do. You and I are blessed with like precious faith as the dear apostles and indeed all the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[8:21] You will have a different answer to that. I believe this, my friends, to be absolutely true that though you may not have the blessings that you pray for, you seek for, you may think that you don't possess the blessings that other people are blessed with.

[8:42] I believe this, my friends, that doesn't alter the question. You wouldn't want to sidestep the question. You wouldn't want to say, well it doesn't apply to me because of this or that.

[8:54] It applies to all mankind. My friends, it applies to all mankind. What think ye of Christ? And as the Lord will help us, let us try to speak of what we think of Christ.

[9:10] And we would try, in all our simplicity, to look at the question from various ways too.

[9:22] The person of Christ as the Son of God. I believe we all are praying characters in this chapel. And then, my friends, what then?

[9:33] What think ye of Christ? That Christ is God, I can avouch, and for his people cares, for I have prayed to him as such, and he has heard my prayers.

[9:47] Those praying souls have, if they are praying souls by the Holy Spirit's teaching, then they have a view of this precious person as he is now before the Father's throne.

[10:05] The mediator, the man who stands between, the one whose name is precious in the eyes of God, whose name is precious in the eyes, in the heart, and experience of the people of God.

[10:22] What think ye of Christ as you pray? My friends, this is the man who mediates between God and sinners.

[10:35] But it is in the saving way that we must look at this word too. It is as far as the redemption of our soul is concerned, the putting away of our sins.

[10:50] it is as he may be as our hope for heaven, that we may have those views of this person, this blessed person of Christ, as our substitute when he suffered and died upon Calvary's tree.

[11:11] my friends, this is the gracious leading of the Spirit now. My friends, you either have a knowledge of Christ or else you have a need of Christ.

[11:28] If so be that by his gracious Spirit there is a need of him, there is a knowledge of him. There will be a knowledge of him. My friends, we might say this, who is it that needs the Lord Jesus Christ but his people?

[11:47] They are brought by divine grace to need him. They are brought by the sense of their standing as a sinner before a holy and a righteous and a just God.

[11:59] This man is the way of escape. This person is the way of redemption. You know that word of the apostle where he says that no temptation has overtaken us but that is common to man and that God in the temptation has made a way of escape.

[12:18] My friends, if you have been taught by the Holy Spirit the solemnity of indwelling sin, the felt burden of sin upon your conscience, the sense of the need of mercy in your soul, my friends, this person shall be by faith revealed to you and it is in need of him you will stand this night.

[12:45] My friends, you might say in answer to the question what think he of Christ, you might say this, that he is the person that you need and you need his person because of what he has done for on behalf of sinners.

[13:03] You need to know, you believe, if you believe anything at all, that the apostle Paul's writing was true, that it indeed is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

[13:21] You will believe that but the burden of your heart will be amongst that company, that number and that he indeed died in the place and room and stead of as their surety, as their substitute that your unworthy name was included.

[13:41] My friends, if you feel yourself to be a sinner, what think he of Christ? In the Gospel of John we find a woman who met Christ at the well of Samaria and she was undoubtedly a sinner.

[13:58] She was probably what we would call today living in sin. She was made aware of the Saviour because he uncovered the plague of sin.

[14:11] Uncovered the plague of sin. She was ignorant of him before then, spoke very confidently about coming of the Messiah.

[14:25] But as the conversation went on, it drew away everything that was of old nature and sin was revealed. and you know those words that the woman left her water pots and went into the city and said, come see a man who told me all things that ever I did.

[14:50] Is not this the Christ? My friends, what do you say to that? What do you say to that, my friends? this is the work of the Spirit, stripping away, taking away every covering, removing everything that you once could hide behind.

[15:11] Not now these respectable sinners, but sinners that suffer because of the knowledge of sin. And this blessed person has been presented to you, revealed to you as the one who was the Christ, the Son of God.

[15:32] Come see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? My friends, that is what was revealed to her. And this is what, this is how he is revealed to all his dear people.

[15:47] Oh, if you need him, my friends, he's because he's been revealed to you. If you need him now, I tell you this, if once you need him, you'll always need him. Don't look on those that have been long in the way, that have made an open profession, as if they go from step to step up the ladder of experience and therefore come away from the first steps when they first needed him.

[16:15] My friends, once you need him, you'll always need him. Because of the plague of indwelling sin, you'll always need this person. And it is a blessed day when he is revealed to you, whether it's the first time or the last time.

[16:32] And all the times before, my friends, your lifetime, a lifetime of a child of God is seeking for this person, desiring after him, looking for him, seeking to hear his voice.

[16:46] This is the person of Christ, what think he of Christ? Christ. What would you write if you was asked to put down what you thought of Christ Jesus?

[16:58] You would say if you was a sinner, if you were sensible, he is the person that I need. And what he's done, he's done for sinners. When he offered himself a sacrifice for many, this is what I want.

[17:12] this is what I want you to say. This is the cry of the heart of a true born, grace taught sinner, you know, what think he of Christ.

[17:27] But then we may say this, that I don't want to get in front of people. The Lord, keep me from doing that, but my friends, I tell you this, he's made to his people to be more precious than anyone else in the world.

[17:43] More than anyone else in the world is this person. If you read through the Song of Solomon, there are occasions there where it was as if the dear bride of Christ could see the union complete and she said, I and my beloved, I I and my beloved's and my beloved's mine.

[18:11] There are times, of course, when she sought him, there were times when she found him, there were times when she thought she had contact with him and he had gone, distressing times to the soul, my friends, but it didn't separate them.

[18:28] What think he of Christ? Is he made to you precious? precious? I often use that expression, I may have borrowed it, but I don't borrow too many expressions, but how precious he is in the want of him.

[18:45] My friends, if he's not precious, you don't want him, but if he's made over to you as the saviour of sinners and the plague of your own heart is revealed, then he's precious.

[18:57] precious, if he's done, as he has done that for his people, that he has redeemed them from their sins as he shed his holy blood, my friends, you will need it to wash your sins away, and that will be more precious than anything else in the world could ever possibly be conceived.

[19:18] There are any amounts of things which are precious, they have a value which is tremendous, my friends, but there's nothing more valuable than this person, and there's a work that exceeds every other work, and that's his work.

[19:37] My friends, you might be able to see the most wonderful works of men in the world, or you might even see the beauties of creation, but they fade away, my friends, when you see the work that this man's done, when he died of Calvary's tree.

[19:55] What think he of Christ? Is he precious? Is he become, as we shall sing in the last hymn, the most needful person in your life?

[20:07] You know what the hymn writer said? I could from all things parted me, but never, never Lord from thee. Is that how you feel? My friends, there are times when you would lose yourself in that truth.

[20:24] My friends, you would say and mean it out of your heart that you would part with anything but Christ, because Christ is your salvation, and this is the way that you and I shall be found in glory because of him.

[20:44] What think he of Christ? Christ, it is solemn, you know, when you consider that these men saw him face to face. They heard his words, they saw his miracles, they followed him about, and all they wanted to do was trip him up in his words.

[21:05] All they wanted to do was to disdain, to distress, to, as it were, bring him into greater disrepute.

[21:16] My friends, how solemn. Perhaps it may be that you thought what a wonderful time it would have been, those three years, when the Son of God in human flesh walked amongst sinners, doing good, healing, restoring, and then dying for them and rising again, so that they shall be justified and glorified.

[21:41] What think he of Christ? There is another word that's similar, and I thought about it since, but that wasn't the text, this is the text for tonight, but there is that other word when the Lord Jesus said to the disciples, whom do men say that I am?

[22:03] Then he asked the question concerning his disciples, and Peter said, art the Christ, the Son of the living God, but it is this question then that abides upon our spirit, what think ye?

[22:19] What is your thoughts of this person? And what, where is the foundation of those thoughts? My friends, it's only those who, by a Holy Spirit's teaching and leading, will have any saving, any desire for a saving knowledge of this person?

[22:42] It's only as he is revealed, you read the beginning of the 53rd of Isaiah, that's what he is to mankind, that's what he is to the unregenerate, that's what he was to you and I, and it's a mercy if you can say that's what he was, not what he is.

[23:02] What is he now? He was a root out of a dry ground, he had no form nor comeliness, and when we saw him we had no desire. What now, my friends, and what made the difference?

[23:16] What made the difference? The value of his precious name, the need of his precious blood, the truth concerning this person, that he died in the place room instead of sinners, that justice found him guilty, and I mean that in a very reverent, reverential way, my friends, he was a sin bearer, and justice poured out its work against him instead of against his people.

[23:51] He was judged in the sinner's place instead, and suffered and died for them. What think he of Christ? Oh, if you should see him by faith as that crucified one, what would you think Thomas would have thought of him?

[24:11] Thomas, the doubting disciple of Christ, as he's labelled him. Look at John's gospel, if we could just for a brief second turn to it.

[24:24] He hadn't seen Christ since the resurrection like the others did. he was not present when they had seen him on that resurrection day, but eight days afterwards, eight days afterwards, they told him that they had seen the Lord, and such was his doubt, he said, except I see in his hands, print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, thrust my hand into his side, or not believe.

[25:01] And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them, then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, peace be unto you.

[25:13] Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believe him.

[25:25] Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord, and my God. My friends, that's what revelation will do. That's what, it'll take all that doubts and fears away, it'll remove all the darkness.

[25:41] It will silence the unbelieving spirit that lies within. My friends, it is Christ revealed. You say, well, that's what we want, that's what we seek for.

[25:54] God's love. But is he not precious in the want of him? Do you not long to see him? Do you not long to hear from him? Do you not long to have that communication, a communion with him, that sweet conversation with him?

[26:10] Do you not want to hear his pardoning voice? Do you not feel that though he's absent, though he's hidden, though he's silent, he's still precious?

[26:20] Do you not want to feel the flowing of his love? My friends, because what he did, he did in love. It was for love's sake that he gave himself a ransom for many, a sacrifice for his people.

[26:38] Oh, what think ye of Christ? Well, my friends, the time's gone. And at the end of it all, I have to often feel this, although I don't often say it.

[26:53] What is it that we feel now, my friends, but completely poverty, complete poverty, because it's so inadequate, what we might think of Christ.

[27:06] I believe, my friends, you can't measure eternity, because no measure can be made of eternity. Eternity is what it is. It's endless.

[27:17] There's no beginning, no other end. But I'm sure of this, my friends, that those who are blessed with that place in glory with Christ, my friends, will express it far better than I ever can.

[27:33] What think ye of Christ? Take it home. Consider it, my friends, in your darkest times. Lay it before the Lord. Ask the Lord to show you himself.

[27:45] Ask the Lord to confirm your interest in him. Ask him to speak to your soul. Ask him, indeed, to reveal himself, my friends, and then you'll know the answer to the question.

[28:03] If he shows himself, then you'll be able to understand in a measure what it is that you think of this person. when he intervenes in the soul, when he speaks into the pathway of his dear people, when he draws them unto himself.

[28:21] My friends, when he reveals his salvation, when he shows the suitability of it and the sufficiency of it, and that he's accomplished it on your behalf, and there's nothing for you to do, as far as your salvation is concerned, then you'll be able to answer the question.

[28:43] And my friends, you'll see in him what he truly is. If asked what of Jesus I think, though still my best thoughts are but poor, I say he's my meat and my drink, my life and my strength and my store, my shepherd, my husband, my friend, my saviour from sin and from thrall, my hope from beginning to end, my portion, my lord and my all.

[29:15] Amen. The close of hymn 573. Jesus is the one thing needful.

[29:47] I without I without him perish must. Gracious spirit, make me heedful. Help me in his name to trust and with pleasure in him as my portion boasts.

[30:03] Hymn 573.for him. Amen. Myself's health.

[30:22] We haven't exper習ped us our unconditionally able to love him upwards The Spirit, an empowering patron, a clear endless way to trust.

[30:51] And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with us my pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure,

[32:10] And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure,

[33:12] And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure, And with pleasure, and with pleasure,ала

[34:36] Oh, forgive the poverty of it all, Lord. Do, do work, Lord. Do what no one else could do. May the Spirit indeed perform what he has promised to do. He shall take of mine and shall show it unto you.

[34:56] Lord, grant this blessing. Lord, let there not be a day go by. Let not, Lord, a day go by without that thou will show thyself.

[35:09] Lord, to thy dear people, some have seen thee, some have heard thee, some desire thee for the first time, others desire thee again and again.

[35:20] Lord, the words of the promise drop in. You now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you.

[35:36] Lord, answer the question for thy people and so bless them that they too may answer the question for themselves.

[35:46] And now, Lord, take us home in peace. Forgive and pardon everything that's been spoken amiss. Abide with us. Gather us together if it is thy will on thy day.

[36:02] And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit rest and remain with us each down forever. Amen.

[36:17] Amen.