Who Is this Man? #3

Jesus is calling every one of us to a permanent irrevocable spiritual commitment to him to follow him. That transcends everything in life you found the truth, but with great founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio hi Bill, right about today's program. We conclude the second of four portraits of Christ.

This one from Mark's gospel. So far we've seen who Jesus is a man unlike any other.

In fact, the one and only God in human flesh who can command spirits cancel sin, calm seas and comprehend secrets deep within the human heart today will get the answer to several other vital questions, namely, why did he come. What does he seek from us. And finally, in response, what do you say Don begins today's lesson in Mark 190 turn there in your Bible. As we go to the truthful you read the totality of the gospel of Mark. One of the great blessings of this portion of Scripture is is that Mark does not leave it to human testimony alone to affirm the conclusion that you are to reach go to Mark chapter 1 Mark chapter 1 see it's not just these authenticating marks that flowed out of the life of Christ that affirm him as the son of God to us. We have the very testimony of God the father himself or chapter 1 verse nine. In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opening in the spirit like a dove descending upon them, and a voice came out of the heavens. You are my beloved son in you I am well pleased.

Who calls Jesus the son but the father.

This is the voice of God the father at the start of his ministry saying this is my beloved son. He looks at Christ and says you are my beloved son. Total absolute approval from a holy God. This is my son turned over to Mark chapter 9. I should have you kept your finger there Mark chapter 9 in verse seven. This is at the transfiguration, Mark chapter 9 verse two, six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before them. His garments became radiant and exceedingly white is no longer on earth can whiten them. Elijah appeared in Moses and they were talking with Jesus.

Peter got his foot in his mouth Rabbi. It's good for us to be here, let's make three tabernacles one for you. Moses and Elijah.

He did know what the answer is terrified see it again response to being in the glory of Christ is terror terror. Verse seven in a cloud formed, overshadowing them in a voice came out of the cloud. This is my beloved son, listen to him all at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone. There were three going into the cloud, so to speak, God spoke and clarified and blew away the fog and all that was left standing at the end was Christ. This is my beloved son. The father has testified that this is his son Mark chapter 14, Jesus himself affirmed this is the question about his identity comes up again Mark chapter 14 verse 61 Jesus is on trial for crimes that he did not commit. Mark 14 verse 61 giving those wrestling pages a chance to find the mark. The high priest was questioning him and saying to them. Are you the Christ the son of the Blessed one question on the table and Jesus said I am in you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Yup that's me. I am the Christ what Peter said but the father said Christ himself owned it.

And now today were in no inferior position because we have God's word in front of us saying the same thing. This is the Christ, God's word testifies that this is who Jesus is in the spirit of God affirms in your heart, the truth of what his word says there's no denying it. There is there is so much at test station to the veracity of the statement that Jesus alone is the son of God Jesus alone is the Christ, he is God in human flesh with unparalleled authority that is verified and attested to us in all manner of ways so that anyone who rejects it is without excuse. Now that's who he is, why is he here why is he here why is the son of God on earth. You'd never guess it is point number two.

By the way, why is he here sees questions are really simple. Why is he here this great Christ is here to die. Mark chapter 8 verse 31, Mark eight verse 30 1C3 times same statement before his crucifixion in Mark 831 Peter just said you are the Christ. In verse 31 Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Mark 931 he was teaching his disciples and telling them Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him and when he is been killed. He will rise three days later look at Mark 1032 wanted to just see the emphasis that he is here to die. Verse 32.

They were on the road going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was walking on ahead of them and they were amazed and those who followed were fearful see those responses again.

Amazement fear and again he took the 12 aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

Told them multiple times in advance so that they would realize that this was no unexpected turn of events, verse 33 behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him and spit on him and scourge him and kill him and three days later he will rise again. He came to die.

He came to suffer. Why would the son of God do that. That makes no human sense. This is incomprehensible, apart from the word of God. This is certainly incomprehensible by any human measure of power and authority when men on earth get authority.

They exercise it to their own benefit. Here's a man with authority and is going to die. You got authority over all these rounds, you're going to subject yourself to death. Why would you do that, Mark 10 verse 45 Mark 10 verse 45.

The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. There should be a tension in your mind just about now attention that says says, but you got all of this authority, and yet you're coming to die, you're coming to serve rather than to be served. Scripture tells us that this great act of condescension was to offer himself his own life, his own blood is a sin sacrifice to satisfy the demands of God's justice again sent God's justice. His holiness needed to be vindicated. In light of the sin of men lie to your sent my sin price, eternal in nature, which we could not pay for ourselves. Christ came to pay that price with his own life. That thought ever get old to you does it get stale because of familiarity. Go back to the question who is this and he's going to die and you realize that suddenly the veil is being pulled back the curtains are being opened, and you are seeing divine glory on display divine glory. That would save sinners a divine glory of one was such med gestic power divine glory of one who in his merciful condescension would lay down his most holy life for the sake of saving you and me from sin. This is wonderful. This is true, but it is so otherworldly that it should provoke a sense of fear and reverence and amazement in our hearts twice here. The point number three. What does he want what is this man well he's the son of God, why is he here came to Diane to give his life a ransom for many. What does he want then apparently this isn't something that I can just read about and go away from unchanged. Mark chapter 8 verse 34. His grace and his mercy and his love are real his invitation to you to come to him for the forgiveness of sins is sincere and his promise to forgive you if you put your faith in him is guaranteed, but beloved. This is not something with which we trifle. What does he want he's calling you to follow him with everything that you have Mark chapter 8 verse 34, he summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them if anyone wishes to come after me seeing who I am, after all, if you want a part of me.

Here's what is required, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

There is no easy believe it is him in the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The call of Christ on sinners is that they would surrender their lives to him that they would acknowledge him for who he is Lord of all that, having seen the fullness of him on display in the gospel realizing that he has authority over all that you would be in your heart in permanent submission and allegiance to this one no games. There is an outer self repudiation that is inherent in saving faith. I repudiate my old man. I repudiate my sin.

I guess I own my old man. I did not him.

I leave him behind, and I, alone with no preconditions with no reservations with no qualifications. I come to you, Lord Jesus, and I place my life before you.

If the seas are going to bow before you have and won't find me refusing my own.

Bended knee, the one who rejects the Lordship of Christ, someone who deliberately says he will not reign over me is a man still in his sin, no matter what kind of foolish simplistic prayers. He prayed in the past, Christ says if you want to come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross which the cross and that day was an instrument of execution and follow me. Recognize my headship recognize my leadership recognize my Lordship and give your heart over to following me unreservedly that's what he wants. See, it couldn't be any other way couldn't be couldn't possibly be any other way. He has all this authority, he commands demons cancel sense he commands the sea. He discerns the secrets of the heart. He condescended to death himself. How did we ever begin to think that we could casually deal with him and not have it impact every area of our lives when we ever get that idea is foolishness that turns this great majesty into a trivial game. No, no, no, this this one who has authority overall is making when he calls you to follow him understand that he is placing upon you and authoritative call over all of the totality of the factions of your heart, and says that is the only way that I will receive you as if you come to me like that if you withhold an area of sin. If you're conscious of saying I don't want I want you to save me but I don't want to follow you will have no part of you see see see both or all the smoke and realized that we have to come to Christ on his terms not on hours he determines the terms of salvation. He determines the terms of surrender. We don't get to make it up on our own. Christ says deny yourself and follow me say I don't want to do that well look on in verse 35 whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospels will save it for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul. What will a man give in exchange result for his soul. Verse 38.

Here it is. Here is the eschatological punch.

Here is the consequence of how you respond to Christ. Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels look I'm never going to get tired of reminding you of your appointment with an eternal God, yeah I I can't let that go. I can't let you let that escape from your thinking. That day is coming and those who casually respond and reject and dismiss the words of Christ here in the gospel are going to find that when they are before the judgment seat of God. He is going to dismiss them into eternal condemnation. There are such great and profound consequences to the truth with which we are dealing to dismiss and reject what Scripture so clearly teaches us is to invite eternal condemnation on your head Christ says follow me and if you're ashamed to do that.

If that's something that you don't want, he says, be aware that there's a consequence, on this day when I return in glory. Your ashamed of me now when I come in glory.

I'm going to be ashamed of you and the opportunity for you to repent will have passed and there will be no second chance and so beloved young people trying to come to grips with the gospel. Understand that the consequences of what were talking about here are incalculable and I can't help I can't help but have the sense Spurgeon described the sense of agony over those of you who are careless and indifferent and flippant in response to the gospel because the consequences are so fast you could not possibly understand the consequences of what you're doing but understand that won't excuse you on the day of judgment. Jesus is calling every one of us to a permanent irrevocable spiritual commitment to him to follow him. That transcends everything in life only. That kind of surrender is the mark of true saving faith.

Have you responded to Christ that way is that the mark of your life. The only question that matters. Who is this man. He's the son of God. Now what are you going to do with that. And so we put the fourth question this final way. What you say. Who is this man, why is he here what is he want what you say my non-Christian friend, I ask you one more time what you say, what will you do with Christ. What will you do with this one. Of all authority, who calls and tells you commands you follow me deny yourself and follow me on what basis would you tell this authoritative eternal son of God know of. Go my own way you think that he's going to lightly treat that rejection when he has graciously offered himself to you in the gospel what he say what I want you to see is that this reality about the authority of Christ helps us to is not just a call to salvation clarity about Christ clarity about his authority frames our entire attitude toward him when you're clear on the authority of Christ. It should build in your mind a superstructure of framework with which you think about all of life and it's a framework of holy reverence toward Christ. Christianity was never meant to be a superficial flippant thing. It couldn't possibly be about, and an active religious ritual that leaves your life unchanged can possibly be that this is real. This is profound.

The revelation of Christ and as such, if you appreciate the profundity of who Christ is. Then you start to get a measure of the profundity of what your response to him should be like profound reverence, profound fear, profound devotion to this anointed one, of God. Mark 16 with this close.

Mark 16 verse eight, which according to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts is where the gospel of Mark really ended verse eight we read it earlier.

Those who were told about the resurrection in this combination of the entire Gospel of Mark.

They went out and fled from the tomb for trembling in astonishment and gripped them and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid does your soul know something of an acquaintance with the fear of God, something of trembling in the presence of the majestic Christ you know something of the hat that's the mark of true conversion, we see his authority with mental understanding and we tremble before it. We fall silent before him enough of a casual response enough of being consumed with earthly life beloved beloved. This is the authoritative son of God, as Habakkuk said that all the earth. The fourth we worship we submit, we tremble in the presence of this holy greatness Christian friends. What do you say about Christ that's done green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati Ohio wrapping up a message titled, who is this man the second of four portraits were seeing in the four Gospels here on the truth pulpit next time we turn to Luke's gospel to get another portrait of Christ will done. Our listeners have no doubt heard sermons on many different topics, but if they could hear only one over and over. It's hard to imagine a better one than that centered on the question posed over the past couple of days. Who is this man Jesus. I agree with you Bill. My friend Jesus Christ will be the focal point of the climax of history. Scripture says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. What you do with Christ in this life determines what happens to you in eternity. Have you repented from sin and receive Christ for eternal life.

If not, I invite you to him. If you have a new are a Christian. I look forward to seeing you in heaven. Until then, let the reality of Christ's lordship shape your desires in life until you see him face-to-face.

God bless you and Frank remember to visit us at the truth.

Pulpit.com to find great study resources as well as downloadable podcasts to hear at your convenience. That's the truth.

Pulpit.com I bill right and will see you next time on the truth pulpit with done green