What think ye of Christ ... He is altogether lovely

Sermon notes from Wednesday 25 September 2019

Matthew 22 verses 34 - 46

"What think ye of Christ? (Matthew 22 verse 42)  "He is altogether lovely." (Song of Solomon 5 verse 16)  We live our lives by asking and answering questions.  What will I cook tonight for the family tonight?  You ask the question and you make the decision.  A trivial question which doesn`t really change things much by the answer.  Another important question we might ask is "is this the right person for me, is this my life`s partner?"  That question will make an enormous difference to a person`s life.  The most important question we will ever give an answer to - hat do you think about Jesus Christ?  Billy Graham said "what we think of someone determines what we do with them."  What we do with Christ determines where we will spend eternity, whether we will be in heaven or lost in hell.  Of course we need to understand tonight that this question is a plain question.  There is nothing complicated about it.  Not what kind of person are you, that`s not the real question.  Not what church do you attend.  Are you from a good family, that is not the question.  Not the question do you give to charity, do you work well.  The question is not do you believe in God.  The devil believes in God and he trembles.  He knows God is all powerful.  A plain question negatively but positively what do we really think of Christ today.  The question that comes to us - do we see Jesus Christ as the eternal son of the living God?  Do we understand who he really is?  Peter, that big burly fisherman, up front, blurted out things - what did he think of Christ?  His answer - "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  That confession of Peter is known as the great confession that transformed and revolutionised his life.  He understood who God really is.  Think of Thomas,  He was a doubter, a fickle kind of person.  He would swing this way then that way, doubted things.  He found it very hard to make up his mind.  He was full of doubts.  There was a day when he had a revelation, an understanding of who he really was "my Lord and my God."  Peter had a transforming moment.  Thomas had a transforming moment.  He embraced Christ for who he was.  Well you would expect that from 2 of Jesus` disciples.  What about an ungodly person?  The centurion over the soldiers, he commanded the nails to be put through the hands and feet of Christ.  He was no softie, not an emotional individual.  He watched as his men put Christ on a cross, dropped the cross into its socket.  The centurion listened and heard Jesus praying "my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"  He was listening to this one praying that those who had done this terrible deed should be forgiven.  He looked on as he endured pain and agony.  He watched and listened as he spoke salvation to the dying thief.  He watched it all.  We might think this man Jesus was just another criminal.  When it was all over that centurion said "truly this was the Son of God"  Do we think idly of Christ?  Where there any women able to give a view?  What did they think of Christ?  There was a house Jesus spent time in - Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.  Lazarus died and Martha told Jesus "if you had been here my brother wouldn`t have died."  Jesus challenged Martha "do you believe that I am the Christ, the resurrection and the life?"  Martha responded "yes Lord I believe you are the Christ."  A transforming moment in Martha`s life.  She realised who Jesus really was.  The writer to the Hebrews "God hath spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of of all things by whom also he made the worlds."  He upholds all things by the word of his power and by him all things consist.  Imagine the solar system, the sun spins on the axis, the planets rotating around the sun, amazing universe of ours.  I believe in the sovereign Lord who upholds all things by the word of his power.  What think ye of Christ?  Whose son is he?  The prophet Isaiah 700 years before Christ came wrote of someone coming "For unto us as a child is born, unto us a son is given, his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  If it is not fulfilled to the last letter scrap it.  You will not find the prophecy in the Old Testament that has not been fulfilled in the New Testament.  This is why I have confidence in the word of God.  "For unto us a child is born" not a son is born.  Why not a son is born?  He was always the eternal Son of the living God.  Isaiah 9 verse 6 "a son is given."  Who is he?  The Wonderful Counsellor.  We live in an age where we need counsellors.  Jesus is the Wonderful Counsellor.  In the Old Testament the word wonderful is used exclusively of Christ.  Wonderful means full of wonder and he is wonderful.  What think ye of Christ?  Do we see him as the Son of God, the only Saviour of the world.  The apostle Paul said to Timothy "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  He is the only Saviour.  Matthew 1 verse 21 "he shall save his people from their sins."  He came "to seek and to save those who are lost."  I have met people, very religious people who enjoy the life of the church but at the same time believe that to get to heaven you have to work hard.  Why do we worship Jesus?  He came to save us.  We will only be in heaven if we embrace him as Saviour.  Do you believe he is the only way to be in heaven?  The Saviour of the world.  Do we also see him as the redeemer of mankind, to redeem is an interesting word.  Redeem means to buy back.  You and I are lost in the mud of sin.  We are separated from God.  Jesus came to restore, redeem.  Restore us to our rightful owner.  Jesus Christ comes to where we are.  Restores us to our rightful owner through his shed blood.  He shed his blood on Calvary.  He has not redeemed us with corruptible things such as silver and gold.  Do you see Jesus as the redeemer of mankind?  What do you think of Jesus?  Do you really think of him as the Son of God?  Do you see him as Saviour, your personal Saviour?  What you think of him determines what you will do with him.  If you think rightly of him tonight there is only one response - open your heart, soul and life, come in Lord, save my lost soul, be my Saviour and friend, come and transform my life, change me, give me the gift of eternal life.  It is in a person.  When you have eternal life you have an eternal person.  When you let him in and he reigns in your heart and life you will say "he is altogether lovely."  He is all of that, wonderful Saviour - do you know him personally?