Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

King David's King
by Tom Goodman
December 7, 2011

You can change lives with questions.

Well, not just any question. In The Holy Wild, Mark Buchanan highlighted some really awkward questions from real-life courtroom cross-examinations. My favorite exchange has to be the following:

  Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
  A: No.
  Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
  A: No.
  Q: Did you check for breathing?
  A: No.
  Q: So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
  A: No.
  Q: How can you be so sure, doctor?
  A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
  Q: But could the patient have still be alive nevertheless?
  A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

I guess that's proof that not all questions will change your life -- or even win a court case. But Jesus asked some questions that were meant to re-orient a person's entire worldview. In Matthew 22:41-46, he asked his opponents four: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He? How is it that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord'? If David calls Him 'Lord,' how then can the Messiah be his Son?

He was referring to the universal Jewish expectation that the long-awaited Messiah would come from the line of King David. He wanted them to see that expectation as a correct but incomplete explanation of the Messiah. So he took them to Psalm 110, in which King David said, "The Lord God said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." And Jesus asked, "How can the Messiah be both David's son and his Lord?"

Jesus left the question unanswered in hopes that the riddle would wriggle into their souls and re-orient their whole worldview. He wanted them to understand that he was the root as well as the fruit of David's line.

It's actually what the story of Christmas is all about. As we sing in Hark, the Herald Angels Sing—

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Join us this Sunday @ 10 as we wrap up our 9-week study on King David. We'll look at King David's King, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

--Tom

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King David's King by Tom Goodman December 7, 2011 You can change lives with questions. Well, not just any question. In The Holy Wild, Mark Buchanan highlighted some really awkward questions from real-life courtroom cross-examinations. My favorite exchange has to be the following: Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? A: No. Q: Did you check for blood pressure? A: No. Q: Did you check for breathing? A: No. Q: So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? A: No. Q: How can you be so sure, doctor? A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. Q: But could the patient have still be alive nevertheless? A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere. I guess that's proof that not all questions will change your life -- or even win a court case. But Jesus asked some questions that were meant to re-orient a person's entire worldview. In Matthew 22:41-46, he asked his opponents four: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He? How is it that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord'? If David calls Him 'Lord,' how then can the Messiah be his Son? He was referring to the universal Jewish expectation that the long-awaited Messiah would come from the line of King David. He wanted them to see that expectation as a correct but incomplete explanation of the Messiah. So he took them to Psalm 110, in which King David said, "The Lord God said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." And Jesus asked, "How can the Messiah be both David's son and his Lord?" Jesus left the question unanswered in hopes that the riddle would wriggle into their souls and re-orient their whole worldview. He wanted them to understand that he was the root as well as the fruit of David's line. It's actually what the story of Christmas is all about. As we sing in Hark, the Herald Angels Sing— Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel. Join us this Sunday @ 10 as we wrap up our 9-week study on King David. We'll look at King David's King, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.