Jesus Who?
6-2-02
Matt. 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 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.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Pray
How will we recognize Jesus when we see Him.
- nail scars
- know his face
- will just know.
I. Who is Jesus
a. 13 “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
i. For someone contemplating becoming a Christian, or even a current Christian, this is the question in our mind. “Who is Jesus?”
1. For the Disciples response for the people, He is in vv. 14 “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”
2. Modern society says that He was…
a. A good man
b. An example
c. A prophet
d. Etc.
3. Christians teach that He is the son of God.
ii. Then He asks in 15 “But whom say ye that I am?”
1. Peter called Him Christ.
a. Imagine the scene.
b. No one wants to answer.
c. But they all think they know the right answer
d. Peter looks to see if anyone is going to speak.
e. Peter is the loudmouth. Outspoken. Always trying to get attention. He still believes, as is evident in the following verses, that Jesus will through military might, set up His earthly kingdom now.
f. So he says what everyone else is thinking.
g. Vv. 16 “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
2. Everyone nods in agreement.
b. Now He asks you, “who do you say that I am?”
II. The tough question.
a. When Peter responded that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus responded in a peculiar manner.
i. It’s easy to be taught that Jesus is the Son of God.
ii. Ask an unbeliever. “Uh, isn’t He supposed to be the son of God or something?”
iii. It’s easy to “know” the right answer.
iv. Believing is something else entirely.
b. Jesus’ response in vv. 17 “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
i. This was not something taught by man
ii. But revealed by the Father
c. Why?
i. This is not such an easy question to answer.
ii. First we must look at what we are being asked to believe.
1. What does it mean to be the Christ? Easton’s Bible dictionary explains it like this,
Christ
Anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew
word rendered "Messiah" (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ #Ac 17:3 18:5 Mt 22:42 the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah #Isa 61:1 and by Daniel #Da 9:24-26 who styles him "Messiah the Prince." The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" #Ge 3:15 "the seed of Abraham" #Ge 22:18 the "Prophet like unto Moses" #De 18:15 "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" #Ps 110:4 "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" #Isa 11:1,10 the "Immanuel, " the virgin’s son #Isa 7:14 "the branch of Jehovah" #Isa 4:2 and "the messenger of the covenant" #Mal 3:1 This is he "of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Saviour of men #Heb 5:4 #Isa 11:2-4 49:6 Joh 5:37 Ac 2:22 To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian #1Co 12:3 1Jo 5:1
2. After knowing this in our head, that knowledge must become belief in our hearts.
iii. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
1. At the time of Peter, the Holy Spirit had not been given yet.
2. So Jesus’ response to Peter that it was revealed through the Father was true.
3. But today, the Father speaks through the Holy Spirit.
iv. In our carnal, or earthly minds, we cannot comprehend, or even receive the saving grace of Jesus.
1. God uses messengers, such as ministers or other Christians to spread head knowledge,
2. But the Spirit of God draws in, ministers to, and convicts the heart of man, thereby allowing the ability to receive salvation.
v. Heavenly wisdom and knowledge can only be received and understood through heavenly means.
d. To know and believe that Jesus is the Christ is only the first step, even though it is a great challenge.
e. The next challenge is tougher.
III. The ultimate challenge.
a. Give up your life for Christ.
b. Vv. 24-27
i. “24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
1. Your cross is your life. Everything that is in it. Everything that makes up who you are.
2. We must deny ourselves, and give all that we are, all our talents and abilities, and follow the Christ.
ii. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:…
1. To live for ourselves, to try to save ourselves, will cost us eternity.
iii. …and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
1. But to give up yourself for Him brings everlasting salvation.
iv. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
1. Is that a gamble you are willing to take?
v. 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
c. The greater challenge then, after we believe in Him, is to follow Him.
d. And following Him is a whole different world, and a different sermon.
IV. Altar call
a. Salvation
b. Rededication
c. Communion
