What think ye of Christ?

Sermon notes from Sunday 24 March 2019 pm

Matthew 22 verses 41 - 46

Last week we were thinking of a great question that had a great answer.  I want us to turn to a question that doesn`t seem to have an answer.  These men standing around the Lord are silenced.  They cannot answer another question.  All sorts of groups came to the Lord - the Pharisees, Herodians, scribes, all sorts of wise men.  They tried time and again to trick him with questions - questions about the commandments, the resurrection and marriage.  The Lord comes with one qustion himself - "what think ye of Christ?"  We read after this question - "after that no man was able to ask another question."

First of all here`s a question that is simple.  Jesus looks into the face of these Pharisees and Sadducees and asks them "what think ye of Christ."  It demands an answer.  What do we think of Christ tonight?  It is a question that demands a direct answer.  If I was to ask you that question personally what would your answer be?  As this question fell on the ears of these Christ rejecting leaders it hasn`t changed much.  It goes back to the shepherds when the angels came down on that first morning when they brought a message that Christ had been born.  They had no problem knowing who he was.  He was the Saviour of the world.  Is he your Saviour tonight?  Was there a time when you took Christ as Saviour and Lord?  It is a personal thing.  Has the Lord saved you, made you a new creature in Christ Jesus, that your sins are in the sea of God`s faithfulness never to be remembered again?  Think of Jesus as he was brought in by Mary and Joseph to the temple.  Old Simeon looked on the child and he asked "Lord let now thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation." (Luke 2 verses 29 and 30)  Have you seen God`s salvation?  Have you gazed on him with a believing gaze?  Have you left your sins at the cross, turned from them and taken Christ as your own personal saviour?  The wise men came to Herod at his palace and asked "where is he that is born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2 verse 2)  They believed him to be the king.  "What think ye of Christ"  It is a simple question, an important question for you.  There are some difficult questions in the Bible.  The author in Hebrews writing about salvation and the danger in neglecting God`s salvation asked "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2 verse 3)  God has a way that is mapped out for us to be saved.  We cannot alter that.  "There is no other name given amongst men whereby we might be saved." (Acts 4 verse 12)  Jesus himself said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father but by me." (John 14 verse 6)  You cannot be like Simeon.  He was so confident and assured.  He realised he had seen God`s salvation and he was ready to depart.  Your eternal destination depends on this. 

A stirring question.  It stirs some emotions in your heart.  Even as leave this question with you, your heart is stirred by the Holy Spirit.  He takes the word of God, shows you your need of salvation.  Only he can do that.  Only he can take the things of God and apply them to your heart.  This question took the stuffing out of the leaders standing before Christ.  They began to contemplate this question.  There were no more questions - have you ever given this question much thought?  On the cross of Calvary Jesus suffered and bled and died for you.  Will you consider what Christ has done for you?   On another occasion speaking to the religious leaders of his day he told them to "search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me." (John 5 verse 39)  Here were those men doting every i and crossing every t yet not trusting in Christ.  They missed out on the Saviour.  That is possible.  The word "search" is a word describing a miner who would go down and search for gold, for precious diamonds, he would seek it out diligently and definately.  It is the same word as a dog would search for his bone.  The one "who was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich". (2 Corinthians 8 verse 9)  Think of the one God loved and sent into the world to die on the cross that you might be saved.  It is very dangerous to enjoy the meetings, the singing of the hymns, the preaching but you can miss Christ and in doing so miss salvation and heaven for all eternity.  God gave the very best he had to offer for your soul and mine.  In Luke 16 we read of 2 men, one was very poor and called Lazarus, the other was a rich man who had much of this worlds goods.  The poor man lay at the rich man`s gate, he was so poor that even the dogs came and licked his sores.  The rich man never looked at him.  They had one thing in common - both died.  The angels came and carried Lazarus into Abraham`s bosom.  He knew Christ personally, it was not because he was poor that he got into heaven.  He trusted in Christ as Saviour.  The rich man lifted up his eyes in hell being in torment.  He saw Lazarus in Abraham`s bosom and he called out for someone to go to his home and warn his 5 brothers.  The rich man was told that his brothers had Moses and the prophets to speak to them.  In other words they had the word of God, the first 5 books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch.  They were the things that spoke of Christ`s death and saving power.  That rich man had the word of God in his own home yet here he was in a lost sinners hell.  What an awful thought.

It is a specific question.  The Lord looked at these men and asked them "what think ye of Christ?"  That narrowed down their thinking process.  It was something personal.  It is as if the Lord is saying "it doesn`t matter if you are a scribe or a Herodian or a Pharisee or a Sadducee but it matters what you think."  There is only one person who can anwer that question, it is you.  In John 7 verse 42 Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders when he asked them "hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?"  Jesus was saying to them "you know all of that but now turn your attention to me."  He was not talking here of a church or a religion but a personal relationship.  People put up arguments today - "I have my church, my father and mother went there, my grandparents went there."  Jesus asked "what think ye of Christ?"  It is not about how you can get to heaven through your church, your good works, your name, your family, your giving and tithing.  There is only one way - through the Lord himself.  Jesus says to you and I "what think ye of Christ?"  When I think of Christ I realise he was God and God in the flesh, that he would leave heaven and come down into this world and die on the cross as the sacrificing lamb of God.  Paul was able to say "Jesus loved me and gave himself for me."

It is a solemn question.  Your eternal destiny swings on your answer.  If you cannot say "he is my Saviour" you are not saved, you are not on your way to heaven.  This is a solemn question because it left these people speechless.  Is he your Saviour?  Religion is ornamental but Christ is the cornerstone.  He died on the cross to take your sin.  He was raised on the third day by the power of God, he is now seated with his father in heaven making intercession for us.  It is a question that you must answer and answer alone.  No-one else can answer it for you.  It comes down to where you sit - "what think ye of Christ?"