Sermon Notes
What
Do You Think of Christ?
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A.
Over the past four months we have asked some really
important questions.
1. We have inquired about God, Jesus and
our relationships with others.
2. We have considered questions that have
been asked by 18-26 year olds in college
(millennials now outnumber baby-boomers)
and questions that are asked by both
believers and
non-believers. We have sought to answer
questions asked by those who are young and those
who are old.
3. Today, instead of us asking the
question, it is Jesus asking the question.
B. In
Matthew 22 Jesus faced a series of questions asked by religious leaders.
1. Beginning in verse 15 the Pharisees,
plotted together to trap Jesus, asked Him if it was lawful to
pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus responded by
asking whose inscription was on a coin. “Caesar’s,”
came the reply. According to verse 21
Jesus said, “Then render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s; and to God the things that are
God’s.” The Pharisees were amazed.
2. Later on the same day some of the
Sadducees came to Jesus with a question. The Sadducees
were also Jewish religious leaders.
Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in a resurrection.
Their question was, “A woman’s husband
died. She then married his brother. He died. She
married another brother. This happened
seven times. If there is a resurrection whose wife will
she be?” Jesus told them they didn’t
understand the Scriptures or the power of God. God is the
God of the living, not the dead.
3. Another Pharisee came along with a
question, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus
answered, “Love the Lord your God with
all of your heart, soul and mind.” He then said, “the
second is like the first, Love your
neighbor as yourself, on these two depend the whole law and
the prophets.”
4. So many questions and yet Jesus had an
answer for each one. Notice that in verse 41 Jesus
turned the tables. He was the one asking
the question. The question He asked was very
important for them and for us.
a. I believe it is the greatest question
we will ever face.
b. No other question will have such an
impact on the quality of your life.
c. No other question will have such an
influence on the direction of your family?
d. No other question will have such a
bearing on eternity.
e. For almost 2000 years this is the
greatest question faced by humanity. It is a question that will
not go away.
f. “What do you think about the Christ?”
C.
Consider the question within the context of this verse.
1. When Jesus asked the Pharisees who they
thought Christ was they answered, “David’s son.”
They had their theology wrapped up in a
tidy package that invalided a Messiah who came from
the linage of David and restored Israel
to the glory of the Davidic kingdom. Jesus certainly did not
meet their expectations. He was a poor
itinerate preacher hanging out with common folks.
2. Jesus asked, “If he is David’s son then
why did David refer to him as, “Lord?” The Pharisees
were stumped to the extent that they no
longer asked Jesus any questions.
D. Anyone
who has heard of Jesus has had an opinion about Him.
1. Some of these same religious leaders attributed
his work to the power of Satan.
2. Jewish literature in 100 A.D. said, “Jesus
practiced magic and led Israel astray.”
3. Jesus has been glorified by some and
vilified by others. He has been embraced by some and
scorned by others.
E. Please
notice how the New Testament describes Jesus.
1. He is Savior – Matthew 1:21, Luke 19:10.
2. He tasted death for every man – Hebrews
2:9.
3. He is the builder of the church –
Matthew 16:18.
4. He purchased the church – Acts 20:28.
5. He is our peace – Ephesians 2:14.
6. He is our advocate with the Father – 1 John
2:1.
7. He is the mediator between God and man –
1 Timothy 2:5.
8. He is the one in whom we have redemption
– Ephesians 1:7.
9. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords –
1 Timothy 6:15.
F. What
do you think of Christ?
1. In
the middle of the first century some early Christians were being confronted
with this question.
They had heard the Gospel, believed,
repented and been baptized but their faith began to be
challenged by false teaching. In one
small town of Colossae some of the Christians were being
heavily influenced by these Gnostic
ideas. What was the question? “What do you think of
Christ?”
2. Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians to
help them understand who Christ really is.
3. In one small paragraph, Colossians 1:
15-20, Paul masterfully answers the question, “What do
you think of Christ?”
He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all
things were created, both in
the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He
is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For
it was the Father’s good
pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through
Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of
His cross; through Him, I say,
whether things on earth or things in heaven.
4. I want us to see five important truths
about Jesus that emerge in these verses.
I. HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD.
A. The word “likeness” or “image” is from
the Greek word “ikon” meaning an exact likeness.
1. When we look at Jesus we see what God
is like. Why did Jesus come?
a. To fully reveal God.
b. Redemption – to pay a price He
did not owe.
c. To provide us an example that we
should follow in his steps – 1 Peter 2:21.
2. In John 14:9 Jesus said, “He who has
seen me has seen the Father.”
3. Hebrews 1:3 says, “And He is the
radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by
the word of His power.”
B. In Jesus we have the opportunity to see
God.
1. To understand what God is like look
at Jesus.
2.
The baby in the straw in Bethlehem was God taking human form. We see Jesus
raised in
humble circumstances, becoming a
teacher, healing the sick, reaching out to those who are
outcasts, giving hope to hopeless,
eating with sinners. What does this say about God?
C. Because of who Jesus is Paul says He is
the firstborn of all creation.
1. In Jewish homes during Old Testament times
the firstborn had a place of double inheritance
with double honor and double
blessing.
2. When Paul says that Jesus is the
firstborn of all creation He is saying that Jesus has
supremacy over all things. He is first
in position and rank. He is first in time. He existed before
there was time.
3. There is no one worthy of higher
praise and standing than Jesus.
II. HE IS CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL
THINGS.
A. John’s gospel begins with a unique
approach. In John 1:1-3 we read, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into
being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has
come into being.” Later in verse 10, “He was
in the world, and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him.”
B. Hebrews 1:2 has the same message, “in
these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
appointed heir of all things, through
whom also He made the world.”
C. It is no wonder Jesus had authority over
the winds and the waves in Matthew 8. He was the one
who created them. It’s no wonder Jesus
turned water into wine in Cana (Jn. 2).
D. What did Jesus create? Verse 7 says “all
things.” What does that leave out?
1. Paul says Jesus created the things
that are visible and invisible.
2. Look at the mountains, seashore,
sunset, and universe. “Have you ever stood at the ocean,
seen the white foam at your feet,
felt the endless, thundering motion, then you’ve seen Jesus
my Lord.”
3. He has not only created the visible
things but also the invisible. The angels, principalities and
powers. Look at Philippians 2:9-11 -
“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every
knee will bow, of those who are in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every
tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
E. Paul says, “In Him all things hold
together.”
1. There is a force greater than
gravity. There is a power greater than the atom.
2. That force is Christ. He is our
sustainer and sufficiency. When you have a relationship with the
creator of the universe what do you
have to worry about?
3. Through Him there is order. Without Him
there is chaos.
III. HE IS HEAD OF THE CHURCH.
A. If Christ is the “Firstborn of all
creation,” and is given supremacy in all things it stands to reason
that when it comes to the church He is
the head.
1. Throughout the New Testament the
church is described as the body of Christ.
2. In Ephesians and Colossians he is
called the “head” of the body. He is the guiding force, the
central focus. The one without whom
the body could not function. You may lose an arm or a
leg and continue to live. You never
see anyone living without a head!
B. What gives Him that authority?
1. He promised to build the church.
2. He purchased the church.
3. He rose from the dead. Paul says, “He
is the firstborn from the dead.” He rose a victor from the
dark domain. Deity was demonstrated
by defeating death.
C. When we wear the name “church of Christ”
please do not misunderstand what we are saying.
1. We aren’t trying to be denominational
or sectarian.
2. We are seeking to be Biblical.
3. Above all we are recognizing the supremacy
of Jesus over His church.
IV. THE FULLNESS OF DEITY DWELLS IN HIM.
A. There were some in Colossae teaching
false doctrine that there was no way God could dwell in
a fleshly body. They reasoned that all
flesh was evil and there was no way a Holy God could
have anything to do with something evil.
B. Paul makes a special point in this
letter to emphasize that the fullness of God dwelt in Christ.
1. In verse 19 he said, “For it
was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him “
2. Later, in Colossians 2:9 he wrote, “For
in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.
3. One of my predecessors at West Side,
Avon Malone, loved to preach and teach Colossians.
He emphasized the word “somotikos: meaning
“bodily. ”
4. Jesus was God. The fullness of God.
He was man. He had a body like yours and mine. He
was tempted like we are. He experienced
emotions as we do. In Him God came to earth.
V. HE IS THE ONE WHO BRINGS
RECONCILIATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN.
A. Notice verse 20 – “through Him to
reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through
the blood of His cross; through Him.”
1. How did He do that – He died.
2. He did more than die. There have
always been people who have died for causes in which they
they believe. Our national
cemeteries are filled with the remains of heroic men and women
who died for our freedom.
3. Jesus did more than die. He died on
the cross. That means He was cursed. The cross was not
only a means of execution it was a
sign of condemnation.
B. On that old rugged cross Jesus did what
you and I cannot do.
1. He bridged the chasm between God and
man.
2. He brought peace out of hostility.
3. He brought reconciliation from
separation.
4. He brought hope out of hopelessness.
C. An
estranged couple had a child who became deathly ill. As the child lay in bed
with parents on
either side he reached up and took their
hands and joined them together across his body while
pleading for them to be reconciled. On
the cross Jesus reached up to heaven and down to earth
to bring God and man together through
His death.
CONCLUSION:
A.
What do you think of Christ?
1. I have tried to give you some
information about Him.
2. Information about Him is not enough. God
does not want you to merely have information about
Him. He wants you to have intimacy with
Him.
B. When
I ask that question, “What do you think of Christ,” did you think, “Jesus has a
place in my
life?” Jesus doesn’t want a place in your
life. Did you think, “He has a big place in my life.” Jesus
doesn’t want a big place in your life. 111
1. He wants all of your life.
2. In Colossians 3:4 Paul says, “When
Christ, who is our life, is revealed.”
C.
“Some folks may ask me, some folks may say, Who is this Jesus, you talk about
every day? He
is my Savior! He set me free! Now listen
while I tell you, what He means to me. He is my
everything! He is my all! He is my
everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me – made
everything new! He is my everything, now how
about you?” Words
and Music by - Sally Ellis.
