Sermon August 17th “Who Do You Say That He Is?” Jim

Mark 8:27-38 (ESV)
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." [29] And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." [30] And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

[31] And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

[34] And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? [37] For what can a man give in return for his life? [38] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

“Who Do You Say That He Is?”
Have you ever been faced with one of life’s difficult questions? “May I see your hunting license?” “Do you know why I stopped you?” “How many calories are in that piece of cake?” “Will you marry me?” “Are you saved?”

The disciples were asked the most important question of their lives, and they were not ready to answer it fully. Each of us has to come to grips with the same question, “Who is Jesus?”, and our lives are directly affected by how we answer it.

What does it mean to confess Jesus as the Messiah? This passage begins by focusing on public opinion, a recital of what the disciples hear the people saying about Jesus. Then the question is put to the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” From there Jesus talks about the suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection that he will soon experience. This statement begins to bring the issue even closer to home by defining what type of Messiah that Jesus really is. Peter’s objection is evidence that the point is getting across. Peter reacts with a very human reaction, don’t say that, you’ll be fine, think positive. Finally, what Jesus says about cross-bearing and losing one’s life clarifies the type of commitment followers of Jesus must have. The conversation starts out as a simple but pointed question and ends up as a radical and challenging description of the Christian life.

Jesus knew what was on the horizon and he still had a lot to teach his disciples. It was time for them to learn that He was building a church; an assembly of people that would confess Him as the Messiah. This passage is one of the most dramatic revelations ever made to humanity. It is also one of the most demanding questions ever asked. The answer that we give determines our eternal destiny and it requires just a single answer: “You are the Christ.”

The beliefs of the people shortchanged Jesus. Most saw Jesus only as a man who was highly esteemed and respected. Some said Jesus was John the Baptist. When he heard of Jesus’ marvelous works, King Herod thought that either John had been revived or else his spirit was in the man Jesus. The common people also saw some similarity between John and Jesus: both were doing a great work for God; both were divinely chosen and gifted by God; and both proclaimed the Kingdom of God and prepared men for it. So, when some looked at Jesus and His ministry, they thought Jesus was not the Messiah Himself, but the promised forerunner of the Messiah.

Some said Jesus was Elijah. They believed that Jesus was a new incarnation of the greatest prophet and teacher of all time. Elijah was predicted to be the forerunner of the coming Messiah. Elijah had also been used by God to miraculously feed a widow woman and her son; so, the people connected Elijah’s miracle and Jesus’ feeding of the multitude. Some professed Jesus to be a prophet sent for their day and time.

He was considered one of the greatest of men, but note a crucial point: these professions were not only untrue, they were dangerous. They contained only half-truths, and people were deceived and misled by them.
These same false confessions about Christ exist in every generation. He was only a great man of righteousness who was martyred for His great faith. This line of thought only leaves us with a good example of how to live and stand up for what we believe. Many people could fit this mold. He was one of the greatest teachers and prophets of all time. He was only a great man who revealed some very important things to us about God and religion.

Today, more than a billion people in our world call Jesus their teacher, Lord, and Savior. Over 100 million Americans worship him on a regular basis. Jesus’ first question to the disciples is as relevant today as when he first asked it: who do people say he is? Today the answer runs the gamut of opinion. Some say he was a great teacher. Some say he was nothing at all, a misguided man with delusions of grandeur. Some say he was a philosopher, some say he was a myth. What exactly does it mean to say that Jesus is the Christ? After all, a majority of Americans say that they are Christians. Yet our churches, society, personal lives don’t seem to reflect that.

Peter’s confession was that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. The question Jesus asked the disciples is emphatic in the Greek: “But you, whom do you say that I am?” The answer to the question is critical; it is all important. It determines a person’s destiny. The answer given by Peter was immediate “Thou art the Christ,” the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God The confession is momentous, arising from a personal conviction. It’s this confession that is foundation of the church.

Jesus instructed the disciples not to share their confession with anyone else, not now. Why? Because they were just beginning to learn what God’s idea of the Messiah really meant. They had to know the truth and be accurate in their preaching of the truth before they began to share. Confession is just the beginning of our spiritual journey. There is so much more to learn about Christ after coming to know Him.

Death on a cross was a form of execution used by Rome for dangerous criminals. A prisoner carried his own cross to the place of execution, signifying submission to Rome’s power.

Jesus used the image of carrying a cross to illustrate the ultimate submission required of his followers. He is not against pleasure, nor was he saying that we should seek pain needlessly. Jesus was talking about the heroic effort needed to follow him moment by moment, to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak.

Many don’t understand why we gather Sunday after Sunday in this place. It's because of the relationship we have with God. So, who do you say Jesus is? Was he simply a good teacher? Simply a man who lived and died a long time ago? There comes a time when you have to figure out who Jesus is to you and what he means to you. I believe he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who suffered, died, and was raised from the dead, and who now reigns eternally with God. I believe that it is through Jesus that I am made clean and my sins are forgiven. Who do you say that Jesus is?