David’s Son and LORD

The Pharisees have made their effort.

The Herodian's have made their effort.

The Sadducees have made their attempt. All of them unsuccessful. All of them exposed by the wisdom clarity the power of our Lord.

Response Ed prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing. People often say about Jesus that he's a great moral teacher, but he's not God, and of course people are still attacking the deity of Christ, even where you would not expect. That said, how should you respond if someone in your church claims that believing in Christ's deity is not essential to Christianity keep that question in mind today. As John MacArthur continues his study called how to talk to a heretic and now here's John with the lesson Luke chapter 20 coming to the conclusion of this rich 20th chapter, we are now late in the day on Wednesday of the last week of our Lord's life on this Wednesday. He has spent the entire day in and around the temple area teaching large crowds and being confronted by the religious leaders they have done everything they can on this day to publicly discredit him. The Pharisees have made their effort. The Herodian's have made their effort.

The Sadducees have made their attempt. All of them unsuccessful.

All of them humiliated all of them exposed by the wisdom, clarity, and the power of our Lord's response. Luke says in verse 40 they didn't have courage to question him any longer about anything. Now it's his turn to ask the questions in verse 41 we read this and he said to them, how is it that they say the Christ is David's son for David himself says in the book of Psalms the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet.

David therefore calls him Lord and how is he his son for our title. This message might simply title it. David's son and Lord. That in itself is a startling title no Middle Eastern father would ever under any circumstances, call his son, Lord, that would be to turn honor and respect on its head and yet, David's son is also David's Lord, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The essential nature of Jesus Christ has been debated since he was on earth. To this day, and it will be debated throughout all of human history.

And it comes down to this was Jesus. God is a God or is he merely a man. The general consensus in the world is the Jesus was a man lived and died noble, insightful, wise, devout religious, compassionate, sacrificial, well-intentioned, and whatever other adjectives you would like to fit in but a man that's consistent of course with Satan's agenda because if Jesus is merely a man, then he is not God. He is not the Savior. The Bible is not true Christianity is not genuine.

It is a false religion. If on the other hand, Jesus is God if he is God, then he is the sovereign.

He is in charge. The Bible is true Christianity is genuine. This is the critical issue.

If you're going to reject Christianity and deny its truthfulness. You have to reject the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus cannot be God or if he is God, then this is the true religion.

So the target of false religions is always going to be the person of Christ. There are other errors than this among apostate so-called Christians who get other things wrong like salvation by grace and faith alone, but it is consistent with Christianity that Jesus is God. Anything less than that in terms of defining his nature makes it a non-Christian religion. I said that I need to say that there are apostate Christians, we will call them liberal Christians who call themselves Christians and deny the Jesus is God. But that's not Christianity the Jews today and throughout history and at the time of Jesus did not acknowledge him as God, they did not acknowledge him as Jehovah incarnate. They did not acknowledge him as God, the second member of the Trinity. In fact, they didn't believe that the Messiah would be God.

They believe that the Messiah was to be merely a man no more notable man powerful man influential man, a man who was all that a man could possibly be a man endowed by God with everything that would be the epitome of humanity to accomplish by the power of God, greater things than any other man but still a man Messiah was to be human. He was to be a human came into the world became the ruler of Israel reestablish the kingdom of God subjected all Israel's enemies and ruled the world of nations from Jerusalem and brought to fulfillment all God's promises to Abraham and to David did not see the Messiah as God son of God or the Savior of sinners.

I saw him only as a man that was obviously what the people believe because that's what the leaders taught them. When Jesus claimed to be God.

He became immediately a blasphemer, he committed the most heinous sin that they could conceive of.

In their religious system. The claim to be God was madness. In addition to that, he then began a fiery assault on their theology on their power on their influence on their position on their false righteousness, and even on their temple operation and that was at the very beginning of his ministry and it occurred all through his ministry and again at the end even in this week.

He cleanses the Temple confronts their corruption exposes their hypocrisy and escalates there feverish desire to get rid of him. The true Messiah.

They believed would be a man, nothing more. Jesus claiming to be God coming in wielding this authority cleansing the temple condemning their theology. There self-righteousness and their religion were crimes worthy of death, so they tried this week to confronted unsuccessfully. And finally, as we read in verse 40. Their mouths were shut. It's now his time. This is his last time to engage the religious leaders of Israel, the influencers, it's his last time. It's his last conversation, what might you imagine that conversation would be what you would assume that if his conversation with them is the last one he is going to discuss what is the most important matter, and he does and he asks them this question.

Verse 41, he said how is it that they say the Christ is David's son. Let's call that a discerning question a discerning question gets right to the core penetrating provocative a discerning question. How is it that they say the Messiah is Davidson now just a reminder. Matthew has an account of this question by Jesus. Mark has an account of this question by Jesus in Matthew and Mark's accounts enrich this one as we see so often in these synoptic Gospels, and if we go to Matthew and Mark would get a few things a kind of helpless.

The first one is to ask the question why is Jesus bringing this up is he aware at this point that they have fully rejected him. What is the point of going back to clarify who he is again what is the point of that they are fixed and resolute in their animosity and their hatred, and their vitriolic they want him dead and every moment that goes by.

They wanted more desperately. Why is he bringing up this issue of his identity again, the answer comes from Mark 1234 he knew of some who were not far from the kingdom that would include, for example, one of the leaders by the name of Joseph from Arimathea we meet later as the one who provides tomb for the Lord. This, then, believe it or not is one final evangelistic effort, even after all the hatred expressed by these leaders.

All the superficial interest of the fickle and indecisive crowd who are being led around only by the nose. Jesus in spite of all of that is still the compassionate evangelist is still down to the very last conversation, inviting sinners headed to hell. To know him for who he truly is to cease their open rejection to cease their indecision. Yes, he has confronted them with the strongest rebukes, he has publicly shamed them for their corruption and lies, but he still manifests enough concern to speak one more time the truth were he as God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked is joy is in the salvation of sinners is sadness is in their destruction back to chapter 19 verse 41, when he first approached Jerusalem at that triumphal entry on that Monday couple of days earlier.

He saw the city and wept over it, he is the weeping Savior and so one more time. He calls them to the truth about himself, and this difference is absolutely essential for salvation.

No one will go to heaven who does not believe Jesus is God. No one no one. This is the clear unmistakable unambiguous testimony of Scripture John five for example, 37, and the father who sent me.

He has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his word at any time nor seen his form and you do not have his word abiding in you before you do not believe him whom he sent. If you don't believe the truth about Christ you have no relationship with God. Apostle Paul put it this way if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ affirming him to be who is let and be damned.

In first John chapter 2 verse 22 who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the son. Whoever denies the sun does not have the father, the one who confesses the son has the father also. You have no relationship with the father unless you confess the truth about the sun so once more the Lord Jesus affirms and asserts his divine nature as God and thus offers himself even to those who despised him go back to chapter 15 for a moment all the way back to chapter 15. To that incredibly rich story that we know is the story of the prodigal son really a tale of two sons and an amazing father you go back to that story.

Remember, the prodigal came back.

The father embraced him, reconciled him, kissed him put a ring on his finger, a robe on him shoes on his feet had a celebration in the middle of the celebration, the older brother appears verse 25 he was in the field. He approaches the house.

He heard music and dancing some in one of the servants began acquiring what these things might be said to him, your brother is come. Your father is kill the fat calf because he's received and back safe and sound. He became angry was not willing to go in. His father came out and began begging him. The older brother. Your member represents who the Pharisees describes the legalists the religious leaders prodigal represents the outcast the tax collectors and the prostitutes the riffraff the sinners they were coming to God. They were coming to Christ and being loved and being forgiven and being embraced and it outraged the self righteous legalistic Pharisees who are seen in this older brother and what was the father's response to this he began in treating him. Verse 29 but he answered and said to his father, look for so many years I've been serving you have never neglected a command of yours, yet you never given me a kid, a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And when the son of yours came is devoured your wealth with harlot.

You kill the fattened calf for him and he said to my child.

You've always been with me all that is mine is yours. I offer to always offer to you.

Here is Jesus back to Luke 20 confronting an older brother confronting the Pharisees describes the religious leaders again who have complained over and over and over that he embraces sinners prodigal's and Jesus here gives an invitation to them once more to consider who he is and to receive the blessings that he will willingly give a repentant hypocrite. So the Lord asks them the pertinent question, but have to take you back to Matthew Matthew 2241.

This is where this conversation really starts. Member Matthew Mark and Luke record the same incident and they all give us little details. Matthew 2241.

This is how it began. Here's what Jesus said first 20 think about the Christ, whose son is he what you think about the Christ, whose son is he and they said to him, literally one word David and that's exactly what he expected them to say what you think about the Christ what your view of Messiah.

Let's talk about the nature of Messiah.

Let's talk about the essence of Messiah, whose son is he what nature does he bear and they respond immediately with the conventional Jewish answer David's now you come to Luke and you read that Jesus said how is it that they say the Christ is David son. How did you come to that conclusion.

He questions their common answer and it was their common answer they believe that the Messiah would be merely a man but the best of men. The noblest of men. The most gifted and blessed of men and a son of David, and I remind you again that the fundamental question of Christianity is the nature of Jesus Christ. If he's just another man in the Bible lies he's not God, and you can forget Christianity, and they were convinced that the Messiah would be merely a man so you have this very direct and very pertinent and very essential and important question placed before them. I called it a discerning question because it discerns to the core of where a person's spiritual is followed by a deficient answer, a deficient answer.

Their answer was David. As I read you from Matthew 22 David, son of David was that true yes second Samuel 712 to 14 prophesies. Clearly, the Messiah will come out of the line of David.

Read Psalm 89 you'll find it there. Five. Six times Messiah will come out of the loins of David Amos 911 Micah 52 he's going to be in David's line.

Now this is a commonly believed by the Jews of Jesus day. It's so obvious in the Old Testament. They all believed it. For example, Matthew 927 Jesus passed on two blind men followed him, crying out, saying, have mercy on us, son of David. Not only was the Messiah to be a son of David, everybody knew that Jesus was in fact a son of David. He was in the Davidic line and apparently the people not only knew the Messiah would be a son of David, but they knew Jesus was a son of David. In fact, this is a common expression in the 12th chapter of Matthew. In verse 23. After Jesus healed a demon possessed man who was blind and dumb. The multitudes were amazed and began to say, this man can't be the son of David, can he again indicating their understanding that the Messiah was to be a son of David Matthew 15 verse 22, a Canaanite woman came out from the region of Tyre and Sidon and began to cry out, say, have mercy on me, old Lord, son of David, my daughter is cruelly demon possessed. Chapter 15 verse 22. That was chapter 20 of Matthew verse 30, a great multitude from Jericho, two blind men again and they say Lord have mercy on us, son of David and we entered into the city. Hosanna to the son of David. Matthew 21 verse nine everybody understood that Luca 1838 and 39 also refers to the Jericho expression by the blind men have mercy on us, son of David is true that he was in the Davidic line genealogy of Matthew one establishes that he is in the Davidic line genealogy of Luke three establishes that he's in the Davidic line. His father Joseph was in the Davidic line. His mother Mary was in the Davidic line. Both lines converge. Of course in him by blood through his mother by right through his father.

Even though his father was not his father in terms of actual human birth. Nonetheless, he is a son of David, by the way, if you were not a son of David. It would've been waived in his face fast because the scribes and the Pharisees as well as the Sadducees Very, very careful genealogical records, all of which were destroyed in 70 A.D. and one of the greatest losses the Jewish people can be easily checked, it was checked certain, and they knew. In fact, he was the son of David. It is a correct answer is just a deficient answer, not wrong, incomplete, inadequate, in fact, when the people call him son of David, son of David, the leaders reacted negatively to that because they knew that they were not calling him son of David, just to identify his family, but they were calling them son of David as the son of David who would be the Messiah. That's what they resent. There were tens of thousands of offspring that came out of the loins of David was fine for him to be one of those, but not the son of David Lynn S indicating messianic title so the Davidic dynasty in Davidic dissent was in fact true concerning Jesus but that is not sufficient. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. His current study on grace to you is called how to talk to a heretic.

John, as you're describing how Jesus took on falls teachers we see him being aggressive and deliberately provocative, and sometimes even militant.

I mean, he began and ended his ministry by cleansing the temple and none of those things are politically correct today, so what lessons would you say there are from Jesus and the way he dealt with false teachers that should apply to us.

Is there a formula to followers there an easy line to draw.

I think as we talk about other days and in this series personally have to start with an understanding of sound doctrine so you know who the heretic is and who their error is coming from because you have the knowledge of the truth but I would save the most direct place to go to find out how Jesus confronted error would be to go to the book of Matthew and go to the 23rd chapter of Matthew where he confronts the false leaders of Israel. I mean, it is it is a D a tribe without a parallel in the New Testament, and he pronounced woe after woe on them, which literally. He cursed them he he pronounced a curse on them.

That was the culmination you know by the time you get to the 23rd chapter of Matthew at the culmination of everything.

Chapter 23 he literally devastates the leaders of Israel this confrontation. Chapter 24, 25 he speaks about his second coming and then to you at the end of the Matthew and they crucified him so his whole ministry culminated in the most fierce words that ever came from his lips as recorded in the New Testament in his confronting those false leaders. I think that people are well.

Maybe they find it easier to confront a sort of godless sinner, a sort of irreligious evil person than they would a religious leader. It is the religious leaders who received the worst ski things from the lips of Jesus and theirs will be the severest punishment in in hell. There will be degrees of punishment. We know that how much greater will be your punishment.

He says in the book of Hebrews. So yeah II think that is the ultimate illustration when you talked about the truth and you confirm of the truth and they're still obstinate. They are the most dangerous people in human society.

Those who are the purveyors of false religion and they need to be confirm of the way Jesus confronted them and he did it with fierceness, but that doesn't mean that he didn't love them because Scripture is pretty clear that he loved the world that right well thank you, John, and friend. If you'd like to dig deeper into how Christ confronted error. That's the subject of John's new book Jesus unleashed it will show you aside of Jesus. That's not often talked about expanding your understanding of who he is and deepening your worship to order Jesus unleashed. Contact us today.

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