Sermon Central
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Who Are You?
Contributed by Daniel Olukoya on Jul 19, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: There are great discoveries, but the greatest discovery that anyone could ever make, is Self-discovery.
Mathew 16:13-18:
“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?” And they said” “Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets”. He saith unto them: “But whom say ye that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. 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. 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”.
Beloved, this is a day to identify the deepest root of problems and failure.
“And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him: “Who art thou?” And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed: “I am not the Christ”. And they asked him: “What then? Art thou Elias?” And he saith: “I am not”. “Art thou that prophet?” And he answered: “No”. Then said they unto him: “Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias”.
The difference between the rich and the poor, is information. One has the information that will advance him in life and the other does not have it. Sometimes, the difference between the great and the small, is knowledge. There is a saying that: “A man’s mountain is his ignorance”. Men have made many outstanding discoveries; the fellow who invented the telephone was mocked, because it looked like a toy but today, it has become an indispensable tool in everyday life. When the young men who invented the aeroplane started it in the back of their yard, people laughed them to scorn. When the fellow who invented the motor car was testing it around, people told him to keep it aside and buy a horse, like every other person; he persisted and succeeded, Christopher Columbus discovered America; Mungo Park discovered River Niger and their names are inscribed in gold today, in history. There are great discoveries, but the greatest discovery that anyone could ever make, is Self-discovery. There is no greater discovery than that. It is possible for a person to be born again, Spirit-filled, sanctified, and could be a Pastor or Evangelist, without knowing who he or she is. That is why this question is coming out to you today: WHO ARE YOU? It is a very important question; it is like asking for you identity card. Ignorance about who you are could put you in untold hardship.
The lesson on identity is very important. Jacob learnt this lesson; he saw that by his identity, he was not in his place of destiny. He got the blessings meant for his brother Esau; got his identity through fowl means but he later discovered that, that did not help him. He had to hold tight to the Angel of the Lord and his identity was changed. He was given a new name, before he could actually enjoy any blessing. One of Satan’s most effective devices is to get Christians, to be completely ignorant of their true identity. The devil is an expert at doing this; he tried it on Jesus, so he will do it to any Christian. The devil thought he could confuse Jesus, by saying: “If Thou be the Son of God, command these stones to become bread” What was the devil trying to do? It was to make Jesus doubt His identity. It means if Jesus did not know Who He is, the devil would have gotten away with his trick. That did not discourage the devil; he tried again, by saying: “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Yourself down; because it is written that the angels will bear you in their arms”. Again, Jesus defeated him, but that did not stop the devil from trying again at the Cross; he spoke through the people who mocked Jesus, telling Him to come down from the Cross, if He was truly the Son of God. The devil is an expert at speaking to Christians; he would want to convince them, that as children of God, they are not supposed to suffer so, their suffering, means that God is not with them, or that He is partial or wicked. The devil would ask if your God is asleep. Beloved, why are you entertaining evil thoughts? I am asking once more: “Who are you?
