Garnes, Arthur: Counterfeit Things-02 ~ Whose Son Is Christ

Again. I know I keep asking the same question, but you'll have to excuse me. Aren't you glad you're saved? Sing these wonderful hymns? Can you think of anything better down here on earth? We remembered the Lord this morning, and now we have listened to his word. We hope in the will of the Lord to listen further. What better thing can you think of down here on earth? We continue our subject. Spiritual counterfeits. The book of the Revelation, please. Chapter two. The book of the Revelation, chapter two. Verse two. I know thy works, thy labor, thy patience, how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and say they are, thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and found and are not, and has found them liars, counterfeits. Verse nine. I know thy works and thy tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich. I know the blasphemy of them which say that they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Counterfeits, spiritual counterfeits. I think many of us have heard that famous speech of Martin Luther King. I have a dream. Well, beloved, I have a dream too. Would you like to hear my dream? Well, even if you don't, I'm telling it to you. My dream takes place in New York City, in the UN building. They have some wonderful lecture halls in the UN. If you've never been to New York, go to New York, go to the UN. It's a marvelous building. And I would like to have one of those lecture halls at my disposal. Beautiful seating, beautiful acoustics, wherever you sit, you can hear, beautiful vision, lovely temperature. And then I would like to have some people there. I'd like to have Oprah there. You know Oprah? I'd like to have her there. I'd like to have Dr. Phil there. You know Dr. Phil? I'd like to have him there. I'd like to have Peter Jennings there. Sam Donaldson. Diane Sawyer. Dwayne. Duane Dyer. He's the famous man that tells us ten ways to peace, to inward peace. I'd like to have him there. I'd like to tell him about one way to peace. I'd like to have Mr. Novak there, Eleanor Cliff, Mark Shields, who I could call some other names, I won't bother. And then after they're comfortably seated, I'd like to have all of the living past presidents and vice presidents and their families in the U- UN. And after that, I'd like to have a representative in the UN from every nation member of the UN. Have them all seated comfortably and turn to our text. Matthew chapter twenty two. Matthew chapter twenty two. Verse forty two. Matthew 22, verse 42. All these know-it-halls in the UN. I have a double question for them. Matthew 22, verse 42. What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? Well, I imagine that when I announced that text, a goodly number of them would walk out. What think ye of Christ? I have a suspicion that Condoleezza Rice would remain seated, and a few others would remain seated. I won't call any names, but I can think of one lady senator who would walk out. You know who she is. What think ye of Christ? That's what we will look at today. We won't take the other question. What think ye of Christ? It was John Newton who said, what think ye of Christ is the test to determine your fate and your state. Mark you, you cannot be right in the rest if you're wrong in this question. If you give the wrong answer to this question, you're right, you're wrong in everything else. What a question. What think ye of Christ? Who is Christ? Again, let us... look at a few scriptures, find out who, who is he? John chapter one, verse fourteen. Our brother read this verse to us last Sunday in the course of his speaking, and I said to myself, if he goes a little further, he'll take receptor from me. But he didn't go any further. John chapter one verse fourteen. What think ye of Christ? Who is he? The w- better read verse one. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was God. The Word was with God. The Word was God. Now, verse fourteen, The Word, God, became flesh and dwelt among us. Who was he? He was God who became man. God who became flesh. Not God and man, the God man. And we speak of that as the incarnation. The incarnation means, or we could put it this way, the Lord says, I was God. I became man, and now I am what I was and what I became. The God man, not God and man, the one God man. That's who he is. He is both. The incarnation means that God dwelt in man. He became man. Isaiah chapter nine, verse six. What think ye of Christ? What do you think of Christ? Isaiah nine and verse six. We've read this often. Unto Unto us a child is born. That's his humanity. He was a human being. A son is given. The child was born, but the son was given. God manifested in flesh. Now I'm going to say something. Don't get nervous. I'm not going to preach false doctrine. But the Lord Jesus Christ was a man just as I am a man. Don't, don't get upset. Sounds a little funny, doesn't it? You say something's wrong. He was a man just as I am a man standing here, but he was not such a man as I am. All right? Feel better now? A man as I am, but not such a man as I. Psalm fifty one, I was conceived in sin. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, the God man. Let me read you... a little something about this man. Nearly or over two thousand years ago, in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. For three years, he became an itinerant preacher. You know who that is? Lord Jesus Christ. He never went to college or seminary. You see me smiling. That's that, that's thrilling. He never went to college or s- now I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to college. I'm not, no, no. I think we can prove from the Bible that you should go if you can go. He never wrote a book. He never wrote a song, and he never held public office. He never had a family, and he didn't own a home. He never put his foot inside a city or traveled more than two hundred miles from where he was born. And most of us here have traveled many miles from where we were born. Though he never did any of these things, he had no credentials but himself. When he was still young, as our brother has been telling us, he was ostracized, turned over to his enemies, and crucified. Now let me read you another one. Our sister Rebecca is not here today, but I remember some time ago, she, no, a song was sung by the assembly, and it was announced that it was Rebecca's favorite song. And after the meeting, I said, Rebecca, I enjoyed your favorite song. She said, that's not my favorite song. I said, what is it? It's one of my favorite songs. Isn't that good? Got any favorite songs? Well, I have some favorite tracks and quotations. Let me read you another one. More than two thousand years ago, a man was born contrary to the laws of life. Know anybody else born as he was? He lived in poverty, reared in obscurity, did not travel extensively. He possessed neither wealth nor influence. In infancy, he startled the king. You know any other infant that startled the king? In childhood, he puzzled the doctors. In manhood, he ruled the course of nature. Oh, this is a nice one. He healed the multitudes without medicine and no charge. Wouldn't that be good today? With all the health problems we have, and how are you going to pay for this, and how are you going to pay? And he healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for his service. Quite amazing. He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries in this world cannot came- contain the books that were written about him. He never wrote a song, and more songs have been written about him than anybody else. He never founded a college, and yet he's got more pupils than all the colleges put together. Who was this man? He never marshaled an army, and yet his army is larger than any army that was ever on Earth. Who is this man? Incomparable. That's the title of the track. The incomparable Christ. Not another person like him. He's impeccable, inscrutable, ineffable, imposs- imprac- inexpressible, pardon me, inexhaustible, incorruptible, and indomitable. He's my man. Is he yours? But we must go on. There is something peculiar about this man. He is the only way to God. Oh, you Christians, you're so narrow. Why don't you become broad-minded? There are many roads leading to Rome, but we're not talking about Rome. We're talking about heaven. Only one way to get to heaven, you narrow-minded Christians. One door, one way, one shepherd, one name. My, my, my. You know that's a divine principle? When the flood came, there was only one ark, and if you weren't in that, you'd drown. Remember that? When they came to the Red Sea, there was only one way to go through, and if you didn't go through that way, you'd be lost. When they