What Think You of Christ — Chuck Smith

Let's turn on our Bibles to Psalm 2 for the scripture reading today. I'll read the first, the unnumbered verses, Pastor Brian will lead you as you read the even-numbered verses, and shall we stand as we read the second Psalm?

Psalm 2: The Reign of God's Anointed King

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. And then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Let's pray. Lord, we have put our trust in you today.

We acknowledge our belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came into this world to redeem man from his sin, to provide forgiveness, and to open the door for man to have fellowship and to live in fellowship with God, even as at the beginning.

We pray, Father, today that as we are studying the word, that there will be a special work of the Holy Spirit opening up our minds and our understanding to the truth of the word, that we might walk, Lord, in that truth.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You may be seated. We are continuing our journey through the Bible, presently in Matthew's Gospel, chapters 22 and 23 this week. We encourage you to read them over. Tonight we will be studying Matthew 22 and 23.

So, go through the Bible with us. Learn the word of God. Find out what God has to say about you and about himself and about how we can relate to him. This morning we would like to draw your attention to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 22, beginning with verse 42, where we read that Jesus asked the Pharisees, What think ye of Christ, or the Messiah?

Jesus Christ, the Son of David and Lord

Whose son is he? They said unto him, The son of David. He said unto them, How is it then that David in the Spirit called him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

If David then called him Lord, how is he his son? No man was able to answer him a word, and neither dared any man from that day forth to ask him any more questions. Son of David was a common title for the Messiah, because in the Old Testament there were many prophecies that told of the Messiah being a descendant of David and sitting on the throne of David.

For God had promised David that there would never cease to be one of his descendants upon the throne. As Jesus was entering Jerusalem to present himself as the Messiah, riding there on the little donkey, as Zechariah had prophesied he would be doing, the people were crying out, Hosanna, blessed be the King, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

And they were calling him the Son of David. That is, they were declaring that he was the Messiah. When the Pharisees heard them, they said to Jesus, Silence the disciples. That's blasphemy. Jesus you remember answered and said, I tell you the truth, that if they at this moment would hold their peace, these very rocks would cry out.

We read that later in the temple the children were saying, Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son of David. And the Pharisees were again very upset. And they said, Do you hear what they are saying? And Jesus said, Have you not read that out of the mouth of babes and nursing children God has perfected praise?

Jesus' Authority Over Taxes, Resurrection, and the Law

They had asked Jesus a series of questions in order to trap him. They were trying to alienate the popularity of Jesus from the people. And so they came with a question that they thought was foolproof.

They said to Jesus, Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar? If Jesus said, No, it is not lawful for you to pay taxes to Caesar. They would have ran immediately to the Roman officials and say, You know, we've got a fellow down here that is teaching people not to pay taxes, and he would be arrested by the Roman government for insurrection.

If Jesus says, Oh, yes, it is lawful, then immediately the people would turn against him because they all hated paying taxes to Rome. So they thought we got him in a catch -22. Either way he answers, he's going to be wrong.

And so Jesus said, Show me a denarius. And so they showed him a coin, and this happens to be a denarius. It is from the Roman period at the time of Christ, been authenticated. And if you have good far distance, maybe you can see that there is on this coin the bust of Caesar.

So Jesus said, Whose image is that? And they said, That's Caesar. He said, All right, give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and give to God the things that are God. Then the Sadducees came. Now they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.

And so they proposed a preposterous kind of a situation. You see, under the Jewish law, if you married a gal and you died before you had any children, it would be the obligation of your brother to take her as his wife.

And the first child that would be born would be named after you, and thus your name would not be lost. So they made up this story. There was this man who married this woman, and he died without having children.

So his brother took her as his wife. He also died without any children, so the next brother took her. He too died without children. And ultimately, seven brothers all had her as their wife. All of them died without children.

Now, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be? You would think that they would say, Who made the coffee for those husbands? But Jesus said, You do err in that you don't understand the resurrection, the power of God.

In the resurrection, there will be no marriage. We will be as angels, neither marrying nor given in marriage. So, then a lawyer stepped in. And he said, What is the greatest commandment in the law? You might know that he would be interested in the law.

And Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. And these two are all the law in the prophets. It's a summation. Love God supremely, love your neighbor as yourself.

If you do that, you're fulfilling the law. He was amazed at the answer of Jesus and confirmed that it was a great answer. But then Jesus took up the questioning. That's when in verse 42 he said, Now, concerning the Messiah.

What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? And they answered correctly, He's the son of David. Jesus then asked, If he's the son of David, how is it then that David called him Lord by the Spirit?

That was a strong patriarchal society. The father ruled to death. A father would never, ever in that society call his son Lord. The father ruled. It was just an accepted thing within that society. So Jesus is saying, How is it that David called him Lord by the Spirit?

If he's his son. Of course, they could not answer the question of Jesus, but it did stop them from asking any more questions after that. What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? Very clear in the scriptures that he would be a descendant of David.

Old Testament Prophecies of the Messiah

The prophet Jeremiah said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch. A king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

The prophet Ezekiel said, I will set up one shepherd over them. He shall feed them, even my servant David. He shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them.

For I, the Lord, have spoken it. The prophet Isaiah said, For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

And of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, to order it and to establish it in righteousness and in judgment from henceforth even forever. So when the Pharisees answered the son of David, they were giving the correct biblical answer.

But then Jesus proposed a problem that they could not answer. How is it, being the son of David, David called him Lord? I would like to look at this question. What do you think of the Messiah, Earth Christ?

Whose son is he? We know that Mary was his mother, but whose son is he? Who was his father? Of course, there are only one of two possibilities. He is the son of some unnamed man in Nazareth, who Mary was messing around with while she was engaged to Joseph and discovered she was pregnant.

Or, as Mary testified, he was the son of God. You see, Luke was a historian. He was a medical doctor. But he was wanting to examine the evidence of the story. So he talked to Mary to get her explanation of the birth of Christ.

And Luke records his convictions. He tells us in his gospel that the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin named Mary who was engaged to a man whose name was Joseph who was of the house of David.

The angel came to her and said, Hail, you are highly favored by God. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and wondered in her mind, what kind of a greeting is this?

The angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And you shall conceive and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great. He shall be called the son of the highest.

And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be?

Seeing I have not had sex with a man. And the angel answered, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you. The power of the highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that holy one which shall be born of you shall be called the son of God.

What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? According to the angel, the angel Gabriel, he is the son of God. Now this was Mary's story. Do you give any credence to it? Was it actually true? Or did Mary make up this story to cover her own indiscretion and to save herself from the embarrassment of becoming an unwed mother?

I would like to point out to you that Mary was an extremely devout and dedicated young woman. It is manifested in what is commonly called the Magnificat of Mary. It was her response when she was talking with her cousin Elizabeth, who at that time was pregnant with John the Baptist.

Mary's Magnificat and the Witness of God

Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for he has regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty has done to me great things. Holy is his name. His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation, and he has showed strength with his arm, and he has scattered the proud and the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy.

A very godly young girl. And she declared that the angel had told her that God had chosen her for that specific honor of bringing the Messiah into the world, though she was a virgin. On two occasions in the scripture, God spoke from heaven and declared that Jesus was his son.

At his baptism, we read that after Jesus came up out of the water and the Spirit of God descended upon him, that there was a voice from heaven that said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

When Jesus was transfigured there on the mount, the disciples that were with him heard the voice saying, This is my beloved son, hear him. On many occasions, Jesus himself declared to be the son of God.

He was continually speaking of God as his father. His father had sent him into this world to pay the price to redeem the world from sin. Peter, who was there on the mount of transfiguration, he wrote and he said, We didn't follow cunningly devised fables when we declared to you the glory of the Lord.

We were actual eyewitnesses there on the holy mount. We saw him. We saw him transfigured. It's not some story that we've made up. But then Peter went on to say, We have a more certain word of prophecy.

I was an eyewitness. I saw. But you may doubt what I saw. You may say you were just having a hallucination. So God didn't just let the case rest on my being an eyewitness. We have the more certain word of prophecy.

Prophecy as Evidence for Christ's Sonship

As we go back into the scriptures, the Old Testament, we realize that there were more than 300 prophecies relating to the coming Messiah that were all fulfilled precisely by Jesus Christ. The prophet Zechariah said, He will be riding on a donkey when he makes his entry.

The prophet Zechariah told us that he would be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver, that the silver would be thrown down in the house of the Lord and would be used then to buy a potter's field.

Micah tells us that he would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah tells us that he would be beaten beyond recognition in Isaiah 52 -14. In Isaiah 53 -9, the prophet said he would be buried in a rich man's grave.

Daniel, the prophet, said that he would appear 483 years after the commandment would go forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem or in the year 32 AD. David prophesied that they would pierce his hands and his feet.

David prophesied they would cast lots for his robe. And on and on we could go to over 300 predictions that were made concerning Jesus Christ that he fulfilled with exact preciseness. What are the chances of a man fulfilling all of these predictions?

If you would just take, say, 16 of the more than 300, the chance factor has been worked out to 1 in 10 followed by 45 zeros. 10 to the 45th power. Now, the scientists say that anything that is above 10 to the 50th power is an impossibility.

So for just 16 of the prophecies to be fulfilled with exact preciseness is close to an impossibility. But remember, there weren't just 16. There were over 300. That's why Peter said we have the more sure word of prophecy.

Belief in Christ and Eternal Destiny

What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? If he is the Son of God, then you better take a good hard look at him and at all of his claims. Because according to what the Bible tells us, you're believing in him as the Son of God or not believing in him as the Son of God will determine your eternal destiny.

John 3 .36, John said, He that believes on the Son has everlasting life. And he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he?

As I see it, you have every reason to believe that he is the Son of God. I don't think you have a single reason to believe that he's not the Son of God. I think that you can invent all kinds of excuses why you don't believe.

But I don't think you have a leg to stand on as far as having a real reason not to believe that he was the Son of God. You may ask, but what difference does it make what I believe? My answer would be as far as he is concerned, no difference at all.

He is what he is, whether you believe it or not. It doesn't affect him. But what you believe does affect you. For you, it is the difference between life and death. It's the difference between spending your eternity in heaven or in hell.

What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? I'm convinced he is the Son of God. He is all that he said he was and will do all he promised to do for those who believe in him. Father, we thank you for the Word of God and the certainty of the Word of God.

We thank you for all of those predictions by which you proved that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. I pray, Father, for those who may have been mulling over the person of Jesus Christ, wondering about him.

Lord, I pray that even this day, the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts, confirming the truth to their hearts, and that they this day might choose to believe that the Word of God is true and that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

In his name we pray. Amen. Shall we stand? The pastors are down here at the front. And if you're here today and God is speaking to your heart, I would encourage you, yield to what God is saying. Open your heart.

Responding to Christ in Faith

Ask Jesus Christ to come in and to save you from your sin, to give you the forgiveness that he said he came to offer to all. Become a child of God by believing in Jesus Christ. It's just that simple. I choose to believe he's the Son of God.

I see no reason not to believe that he is the Son of God. There is evidence all around that he is the Son of God standing among you. There are thousands who believe that he is the Son of God and will testify to you of the transformation he has made in their lives because they have received him as the Son of God.

And I would invite you to join those that have experienced the power of God transforming their lives and giving them a hope for eternal life in and with him. They're here to pray for you and we would encourage you when we're dismissed just come on down and just take them by the hand and say, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

And they'll be glad to pray with you and to just help you to enter in to a vital living relationship with God today. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee and be gracious unto thee.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee.