From Ballymunny in County Antrim, we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you with us today as we spend 15 minutes around the Word of God, preaching Christ in all His fullness. Leslie Curran here saying hello and welcome once again in the Savior's name to our Gospel broadcast. It's good that you've taken time to tune in and I hope that you'll continue listening for the next quarter hour as we let the Bible speak. Don't forget that if you've got any spiritual problems or concerns then we'd be glad to hear from you and we'd be delighted to give you help and counsel from God's precious Word. So why not make a point of dropping us a line this week If you've just been listening in to the broadcast and the Lord has blessed his word to your heart then we'd be glad to hear from you. It's always an encouragement when our listeners write and tell us of the blessing that the program has been to them. So do make a point of writing us at our mailing address which is coming up at the end of the program. Right now Letting the Bible Speak is the Reverend Ivan Foster. Good morning everyone. Welcome to Let the Bible Speak. We're glad that you've joined us on our program. Let's turn now to our Bible reading. We're looking at Mark chapter 8, verse 27. Mark chapter 8, verse 27. And Jesus went out and his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi, And by the way, he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist. But some say Elias, and others one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth, and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. And he charged them, that they should tell no man of him. Amen. And God will bless this reading from His word to all of our hearts. Now we have a Fanny Crosby hymn, Near the Cross. you. In the cross, there's a precious fountain Free to all that is free Those who fell this mountain In the cross, in the cross Be my glory evermore, Till my fragile soul shall find Rest beyond the river. In the cross a trembling soul, love and mercy found him, there the bright and morning star shed its beams. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, In the cross, O love of God, bringing teeth before me, that we walk from day to day with His shadow for me. In the cross, in the cross, In the cross I'll watch and wait, hoping God's been cared for. Till I reach my goal that's there, just beyond the sea. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my rapture song shall fly. Let's turn please now to the portion that we read a little earlier, the verses 27 through to 30 of Mark chapter 8. This portion provides us with a glimpse of the Savior and his disciples as they traveled from village to village. It allows us to listen into their conversation and observe just what it was that they talked about in those private moments. you will see that the Savior introduces the topic and guides the conversation. It says in the verse 27 that He asked His disciples a question, Whom do men say that I am? Here's a very challenging question. Indeed it's one of many challenging questions posed by the Savior in the Word of God. And I want to notice with you first of all this morning that Christ wishes to know the views of men concerning Himself. I am sure I am right when I say that, dear listener, the Savior is interested in your view of Him. It is by men's knowledge of the Savior that we can measure the progress of the gospel. The gospel is termed in Acts 8-35, preaching Jesus. Philip the Evangelist in that verse opening his mouth and beginning to preach Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch who was interested in knowing more about God's salvation so the gospel is preaching Jesus it's all about the Lord Jesus Christ and you can tell therefore the advances that the gospel has made amongst men by the knowledge that men have of the Savior There is today a great ignorance concerning Christ. Of that there is no doubt. I am sure one of the reasons why the name of the Lord Jesus is taken in vain by so many people today is that they are ignorant of the one whose name they use so lightly, so casually, and oftentimes so wickedly. In Hosea, the chapter 4, and the verse 1, The prophet says, Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel. For the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. And further down that chapter, in the verse 6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee. So wherever you find a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, there the gospel has been and has enlightened the minds of men and women. So that's why the Savior says when he's talking here to his disciples, whom do men say that I am? He was thus gauging the measure of light that existed amongst the people of the land. The greatest evidence of God's grace in a life is the right knowledge, the right view, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a view is evidence of heavenly teaching. The parallel portion to that which we have just read in Matthew, the chapter 16, has an interesting comment added to it. It's not recorded by Mark, but Matthew has it recorded, and it's worthwhile just turning it up. Matthew, and the chapter 16, the verse 17. Listen to what the Savior says. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. These words of the Savior follow his second question to the disciples where he said whom do men say that I am and then he went on to say and now who do you say that I am and of course Peter gave a very correct answer he says thou art Christ the Son of the Living God and the Lord Jesus says blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven so A right view of the Lord Jesus Christ is a wonderful mark of God's grace in the life. It shows heavenly teaching. It shows that God has enlightened the individual who has thus come to understand who Jesus is. A knowledge of Christ is a mark of grace. I wonder, do you know much about the Savior today? Do you understand who He is? Do you know what His will and purpose is? Do you study His word? Have you gained an insight into what it is the Savior wills for you? Do you know who Jesus is? I think we should also note that it is by our speaking of the Savior that we give evidence of our knowledge of Him. The Savior, you see, is saying, what do men say about me? Who do they say I am? And then he goes on and he challenges his own disciples in the verse 29. But whom do ye say that I am? What a blessing it is to be able to publicly declare our view of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the bounden duty of the Christian to speak out and declare who Jesus is. Reveal to others the knowledge that God has given to you. Share with others the view of Christ that God has granted to you. It's very necessary for the Christian to share their knowledge of the Lord Jesus because men generally stand in great ignorance of the Savior. Look at the answer given to the Savior's question in verse 28. Whom do men say that I am? Why, the disciples replied, some say you're John the Baptist, others say you're Elias, and others one of the prophets. Man's knowledge of Christ is sadly limited. There's a need for us to speak out in this day and tell who Jesus is. We're going to return to this passage next week in the will of the Lord and consider a little more of what these words of the Savior teach us. God bless you. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak, coming from Ballymoney, County Antrim. We counted a privilege to bring the gospel of Christ to you in all its biblical fullness, and I trust that you've enjoyed today's program. If you've been challenged, encouraged, or helped in any way, we'd like to hear from you. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT 53 6PE. Let the Bible Speak, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT 53, 6PE. Thank you for listening today. We're on the air here on Gospel AM each morning, Monday to Friday at 9.30. So do remember to join us at this time as we let the Bible speak. you