I want to read this evening from Matthew's
Gospel chapter 22.
Then said one of them, which was a
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and
saying, Master, which is the great commandment in
the law?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and with all thy soul and with all
thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
When 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 saith unto them, How then doth David
in spirit call him Lord?
Saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand till I make
thine enemies thy footstool.
If David then call him Lord, how is
he his son?
And no man was able to answer him
a word, neither durst any man from that
day forth ask him any more question.
Now my text this evening are those words
in verse number 42, where the Lord Jesus
said, What think ye of Christ?
What a very important question.
This question was asked, of course, by the
Lord Jesus.
In verse number 35, we read there how
a lawyer came and asked a question to
him.
Which is the great commandment in the law?
And the Lord Jesus, of course, answered them,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus
asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ?
Whose son is he?
And they, of course, said, The son of
David.
He saith unto them, How then doth David
in spirit call him Lord?
Saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand till I make
thine enemies thy footstool.
If David then call him Lord, how is
he then his son?
And, of course, the Lord Jesus silenced the
people.
He silenced the people.
And I want you this evening to think
of this very important question asked by the
Lord Jesus to these Pharisees.
What think ye of Christ?
What an important question it is.
The hymn writer asked the question, What think
ye of Christ is the test to try
both your state and your scheme?
You cannot be right in the rest unless
you think rightly of him.
It is so very important to think rightly
of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What think ye of Christ?
You know, there are some of you here
this evening that I know.
And if I were to go around you
personally and ask you, What do you think
of him?
What do you think of Christ?
I know the kind of answers I would
receive.
For those of us, you know, who are
saved, we think much.
We think everything of the blessed Lord Jesus
Christ.
I want us just this evening to take
a little journey, as it were, through the
scriptures.
And to look at some people and to
what they thought of Christ.
We're going to look first of all at
Revelation chapter 5.
There we have a heavenly scene.
And you know, there is a company of
people.
And there they are singing the new song.
And verse 9 says, They sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book.
For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us
to God by thy blood out of every
kindred and people and tongue and nation.
Here we have these people.
And you know, if you were to ask
them the question, What do you think of
Christ?
They would answer this, He is worthy.
He is the one who is worthy, worthy
to open the book.
And you know, here they are singing in
heaven.
And they are singing about his worthiness.
Now I want us just for a moment
or two, just to think about their song.
I want you to notice the great theme
in their song.
There was a great theme.
And the great theme was the theme of
redemption.
That was the theme, of course, that runs
through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
It's the great theme of redemption.
As the hymn writer could say, Oh, wonderful
story.
Glad message for you and for me.
That Jesus has purchased our pardon and paid
all our debt on the tree.
Believe it, oh sinner, believe it.
Receive the glad message that's true.
That Jesus has purchased our pardon and paid
all our debt on the tree.
Do you know what a wonderful message?
It is the message of redemption.
Telling sinners how they can be redeemed unto
God by the precious blood of the Lord
Jesus.
Do you know, redemption was planned in eternity
before ever Adam and Eve sinned in the
Garden of Eden.
Before ever God made the world.
Redemption was planned.
The hymn writer could say, Before thy hands
had made the sun to rule the day,
or earth's foundation laid, or fashioned Adam's clay,
what thoughts of love and mercy flowed in
thy great heart of love, oh God.
God loved us.
God thought about us in eternity.
And he planned redemption.
And you know, when the fullness of the
time was come, he sent that blessed one
into the world.
And entered into this world was the Lord
Jesus, the Son of the living God.
And he came that he might go to
Calvary and die and shed his precious blood
and there provide redemption, provide a way back
to God from the dark paths of sin.
A way whereby sinners could be reconciled to
God.
You know, this was the great theme in
their song.
But you know, there's a great triumph in
the song.
For it says, Thou wast slain.
You see, the one who was slain was
the one, of course, who rose again from
the dead.
Up from the grave he arose.
With a mighty triumph over his foes.
He arose the victor from the dark domain.
And he lives forever with his saints to
reign.
He arose, he arose.
Hallelujah!
Christ arose.
The great triumph in the song.
My dear friends this evening, isn't it great
to know that he's alive?
He's alive in the presence of God.
And this was the great triumph in their
song.
They were singing unto one who was alive.
One who had defeated death and hell and
the grave.
You know, there's not only the great theme
in the song and the great triumph in
the song, but you know, there's the great
testimony in the song.
They sung a new song saying, Thou wast
slain and hast redeemed us.
These people had a testimony.
These people had experienced redemption.
There was a time in their life when
they learned this very important lesson.
That in the sight of God they were
sinners.
And in their sin they could never enter
heaven.
And if they died in their sin, they
would be lost and banished into the lake
of fire for all eternity.
But they saw their need.
The Spirit of God wakened them and showed
to them their need of Christ and their
need of salvation.
And you know, there was a time when
they looked to the cross.
When they looked to the Christ of the
cross.
And they put their faith and trust in
Him and they experienced redemption.
What a wonderful moment it is in a
person's life when they experience redemption.
I'll never forget it.
Over 55 years ago on a Sunday evening
under the preaching of the late W.P.
Nicholson I can remember it well.
Trusting Jesus Christ as my own and personal
Saviour.
And I experienced redemption.
Tell me, have you experienced redemption?
Are you saved tonight?
Are you ready for heaven?
Here we have these people.
If you'd have asked them, what do you
think of Christ?
He's worthy.
I want you to look at another scripture.
This time it's 1 Peter.
1 Peter chapter 2.
And there you know Peter said these words
in verse 7.
Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.
What a wonderful word.
Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.
If you would have gone to Peter and
to these people to whom he was writing
and were to say to them what think
ye of Christ?
Tell me, what do you think of Christ?
They would have told us this.
He's precious.
Precious.
More precious than silver or gold.
More precious than anyone.
More precious than anything in this world today.
Jesus my Saviour is precious to me.
And if you said to Peter Peter, why
is this one so very precious to you?
Why is the Lord Jesus so very precious
to you?
You know Peter would have said this.
First of all I believe He's precious to
us because of who He is.
Because of who He is.
You remember in Matthew chapter 16 when the
Lord Jesus was coming to the coast of
Caesarea Philippi the Lord Jesus asked a question
to the disciples and He said to them
Whom do men say that I the Son
of Man am?
And of course they said Some said you're
John the Baptist.
Some said you're Elijah.
Some said you're one of the prophets.
Some said you're Jeremiah.
But whom do ye say that I am?
And it was Peter who said Thou art
the Christ the Son of the Living God.
Oh what a confession.
Thou art the Christ the Son of the
Living God.
Do you know the Lord Jesus said Blessed
art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee but my
Father which is in heaven.
It was a divine revelation that Jesus is
the Son of God.
My dear friend let me tell you this
evening without the shadow of a doubt He
is the Eternal Son of the Eternal God.
Yes He would have said He's precious because
of who He is but you know He's
precious because of what He has done.
He's precious because of what He has done.
In chapter 2 in verse 24 He says
this Who His own self bare our sins
on His own body on the tree that
we being dead to sins should live unto
righteousness by His stripes ye were healed.
My, the cross.
He died there on the cross to make
a way back to God.
He died for our sins winded for our
transgressions bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of
our peace was upon Him and with His
stripes we are healed.
Peter would have said He's precious because of
who He is.
He's precious because of what He has done
for us but you know He's precious because
of what He has given to us.
He's precious because of what He has given
to us.
In chapter 1 you know He says this
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a living
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that
feedeth not away reserved in heaven for you
who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time.
Oh, what a hope!
What a hope the Lord Jesus gave to
them!
What a hope the Lord Jesus has given
to His people, to His children!
Tell me, are you saved tonight?
Tell me, have you got the hope tonight?
Do you know that you're going home to
glory?
The little hymn could say we're going home
to glory soon to see the city bright
to walk the golden streets of heaven and
bask in God's own light.
But some of you are out of Christ
and held by many a snare we cannot
leave you lost alone we want you over
there.
My those in the glory they were singing
about the worthiness of Christ and here we
have Peter he's writing about the preciousness of
Christ.
Do you know there's another scripture that came
to my mind it's in the Song of
Solomon chapter 5 and there of course we
have that lovely story of the bride and
the bridegroom and of course the bride is
asked the question What is thy beloved more
than another beloved that thou dost so charges?
Tell me, what's different about him?
What is thy beloved more than another beloved
that thou dost so charges?
My, if you'd have spoken to this dear
person and to the bride and said, what
do you think of Christ?
Do you know what she said?
He's altogether lovely.
My, she began to speak of him.
My beloved is white and ruddy he's the
chiefest among ten thousand and then she says,
you know his mouth is both sweet he
is altogether lovely this is my beloved and
this is my friend he's altogether lovely the
loveliness of Christ.
Do you know everything about him is lovely
My, everything about him is lovely My, the
lovely life that he lived the one who
knew no sin the one who had no
sin and the one in whom is no
sin spotless, perfect, Lamb of God sinless, what
a life he lived what lovely words he
said what lovely words he spoke how he
could say to the sinner thy sins be
forgiven thee how he could say to those
who were bound in sin if the Son
therefore shall make you free ye shall be
free indeed the loveliness of Christ Tell me,
what do you think of him?
What do you think of Christ?
Those who said he's worthy speak about his
worthiness those who speak about his preciousness and
those who speak about his loveliness I'm going
to look now at the prophet Isaiah Isaiah
chapter 9 Isaiah was that wonderful prophet someone
has called the prophecy of Isaiah the gospel
according to Isaiah because it's just full of
Christ and in chapter 7 of course he
speaks there of the virgin birth but it's
chapter 9 verse 6 I want you to
think of chapter 9 verse 6 he says
this unto us a child is born unto
us a son is given and the government
shall be upon his shoulder and his name
shall be called wonderful counsellor of the mighty
God the everlasting father and the prince of
peace the word I want you to think
about here is the word wonderful not only
is he worthy and precious and lovely but
he's wonderful wonderful unto us a child is
born unto us a son is given and
his name shall be called wonderful and the
one who is wonderful of course is none
other than the mighty God and the everlasting
father what do we see?
if you would have said to Isaiah the
prophet and he prophesied of course about Christ
what do you think about Christ?
do you know if he would have just
said he's wonderful he's wonderful a wonderful saviour
is Jesus my Lord a wonderful saviour to
me do you know if in Revelation 5
we think about his worthiness 1 Peter 2
we're thinking about his preciousness Solomon 5 we're
thinking about his loveliness and here in Isaiah
9 we're thinking about his uniqueness uniqueness there's
none like him there's none like Jesus as
the hymn writer said no mortal can with
him compare among the sons of men fairer
is he than all the fair that fill
the heavenly train how wonderful Jesus really is
do you know no one ever loved like
him no one ever loved like him do
you know I love that lovely verse because
the Lord used it to bring the assurance
of salvation home to my soul for God
so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have everlasting life my
dear friend if you're in the meeting this
evening and you've never been saved you've never
been saved would you listen to this great
verse again it tells us about God's love
God so loved the world God loved the
world of sinners lost and ruined by the
fall salvation full at highest cost he offers
free to all it tells us about the
love of God God loved you so much
that he gave his only begotten son the
one in whom God found all his pleasure
and all his delight God gave him to
the cruel agonizing death of the cross in
order that you might be saved God so
loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son and listen to it that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have
everlasting life my what a blessing my what
a salvation and if you're not saved tonight
thank God you can have it salvation is
a gift free gift of God the wages
of sin is death but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord tell me in closing what do you
think of Christ?
what do you think of Christ?
have you ever trusted him as your saviour?
can you not see that you're lost?
perishing?
can you not see that he loves you?
that Christ has died for you that salvation
is for you tonight if you'll come this
is the glorious message of the gospel and
if you're not saved tonight will you come?
will you put your trust in him?
for his name's sake